


Sadness Is a Blessing

by Mesita



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, Broken Heart, F/M, First Time, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, M/M, Pining, Reluctant Scott, Scisaac - Freeform, Scott and Stiles shenanigans, Slow Build, Werewolf Senses, alpha pack, before season 3, cameo appearance by the twins, moping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-23
Updated: 2012-12-08
Packaged: 2017-11-16 22:13:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 74,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/544412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mesita/pseuds/Mesita
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Isaac doesn't respond to Derek's teaching methods, he turns to Scott for training. Lines and boundaries between friendship and something else blur and Isaac finds himself falling. Hard.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story about healing. About two broken hearts looking for peace and finding solace in each other.
> 
> This is set in the Teen Wolf Universe, shortly after the events of season 2. I'm sure that once season 3 airs, all of this is completely moot, but this will get me through to the new episodes.
> 
> The title for this work was inspired by Sadness Is a Blessing by Lykke Li.

Scenting emotions doesn’t come as easy as Isaac thinks. He’s been given an advantage—he knows this. He, at least, had been given a choice. He knew what he was getting himself into—or so he thought. Derek hadn’t explained it well enough. And now—now the world is spinning and he feels as though he’s seeing color for the first time. He cannot differentiate the myriad of scents around him and loses himself quickly. Fear smells like lust. Happiness smells like anxiety. Anger smells like amusement. Conflicting emotions permeate the air with such a thickness that it impairs Isaac’s vision.

If the sensory overload only happened at certain times, Isaac would be okay, but it doesn’t. It happens constantly. He cannot escape it—even if he closes his eyes. He still breathes. He still hears. The world is a cacophony of every second of every minute and every minute of every hour. His only respite is sleep, and even that does not come easily. The headaches keep him up.

The headaches eventually lessen, but he continues to be astounded by their sudden arrival.

They happen most often in class. A newly bitten werewolf surrounded by the intoxicating scent of teenage pheromones is too much for him. If he so much as tries to concentrate on the lecture or task at hand, he has to fight a headache as well.

No one ever turns to notice. No one looks his way. When he ducks his head behind a textbook to ride out the waves of pain, not even the teacher steals a glance in his direction. It has always been like this—and now that he’s been given this new gift, these new senses, he is overwhelmed. He’s always been used to pain, but until recently it has always been external. This pain comes from within and radiates outward until he can feel it everywhere. Internal becomes external. Red becomes blue. Isolation becomes rage.

Isaac doesn’t realize he’s drumming the eraser of his pencil hard on his desk until it snaps. He manages to catch the attention of someone and he glares at them until they turn away.

He refuses to believe this will get better with time.

He is drowning, spiraling downward and out of control. For the first time, he longs to be shut in that freezer again just to block out sensory input. He hates himself for wanting that. Hates himself for even thinking it. He’s gritting his teeth and listening to the clock tick on the wall and trying not to let the echoes pierce him.

Suddenly, there is a feather-light touch on his arm and the entire world pauses. The only sound he can hear is now the beat of his own heart. The only smell he can identify is sweet and soothing, like fresh linen and grass. Like sheets drying on a clothesline. When he turns his head to glance down, there’s a familiar hand at the crook of his elbow and Isaac stares at it.

The hand belongs to Scott McCall.

Isaac steals a side glance to Scott long enough to catch his smile and receive a quick nudge. “You okay?” Scott mouths silently. All Isaac can muster is a shaky nod. It must be enough because Scott withdraws his hand and goes back to writing his notes.

Everything is a dull roar, even Isaac’s own heartbeat. He lets out a breath of relief and can actually concentrate on class again. When he gets the chance, he steals a look toward Scott, but their eyes don’t meet again for the rest of the class.

Isaac’s headache is gone.

*

Days go by. Weeks. Isaac isn’t making as much progress on his new senses as he or Derek would like. He loses his normal lunchtime seat when both Erica and Boyd stop showing up at school. Isaac feels more alone than ever. The isolation hits him harder than when it was just him and his father. He has gotten a taste of what friendship can feel like, and now it’s been stripped away.

So one day, at lunchtime, Isaac sits with Scott and Stiles without asking. They do not call him out on it, so he settles peacefully and picks at the cafeteria food on his plate. Isaac usually ate with Erica and Boyd, but they have been missing since the week Jackson made his transformation from the kanima to a werewolf. The pack dynamics had changed after that. Isaac felt weaker. He was finally starting to think of the four of them as a family, but that had changed drastically.

In a perfect world, Isaac would have the two of them back, and together with Scott and Derek and Jackson and even Peter… they would make a perfect pack, humans included. But Isaac’s world is far from perfect. He barely even has a pack now, anyway. Scott refuses to join and Derek is at odds with Peter more often than not. Despite the plethora of werewolves around him, Isaac feels alone.

Jackson and Lydia, lost in their world, don’t sit with them. Isaac wonders if that will change, but the outcome doesn’t matter to him much. He’s more concerned with Scott and Stiles. The two of them are hunched over each other, watching a video on Stiles’ phone. It must be hilarious, based on the way the two of them have their hands over their mouths, trying not to laugh so that they can concentrate on the video.

Isaac can’t help but to feel left out, but it only lasts a second before Scott raises his eyes to him again after the video is over and says, “Dude, you have to watch this, it’s hilarious.”

Seconds later, Isaac has his tray pushed out of the way and he is leaning over the table, eyes glued to the video screen as Scott holds it up. He is leaning over the table as well, meeting Isaac halfway. Stiles stays where he is seated and stuffs his cheeks with food, gauging Isaac’s reaction. Apparently, it is very important that he laugh at the joke.

As it turns out, Stiles has found a compilation of dog videos that he claims resemble the various wolves in his life. At first, they appear to be normal clips of dogs running into things or biting body parts by accident. Isaac has seen thousand of those clips on America’s Funniest Home Videos. After a bit, though, Isaac can completely understand why he’s watching this. There’s a clip of a little kitten standing up to a Rottweiler and Isaac can’t help but to think of Stiles and Derek. Isaac bites back a giggle, but with Scott hovering over him, laughing loudly at a dog head butting a tennis ball back at its trainer and hitting her over the head with it, Isaac can’t help but to start laughing along with him.

The movie ends and Scott moves to sit back in his seat, smiling so hard his eyes crinkle at the edges. Isaac stares at his eyes for a moment. He’s pretty sure he could decipher a smile even if the rest of Scott’s face was covered, leaving only his eyes. It’s a good thing he prefers to watch Scott’s eyes smile because staring at his lips would be embarrassing. In fact, now that he is thinking about it, he has to force himself not to look. He clears his throat and pretends that his laughter at the video made his mouth dry. “Awesome,” he says, reaching for his drink.

“Dude, I know, right?” Stiles says. He presses forward and takes his phone from Scott’s hand, hiding it from the view of not only the teachers but probably the cameras as well. The school is too cheap to get rid of the expensive technology now that they it’s there. “I think the one where the pug tilts his head to the music is you, hands down.”

Isaac nearly spits out the drink he just took. “What? Out of all the clips, I’m the ugly pug?” He looks to Scott for confirmation but Scott just laughs.

“Have you seen yourself as a wolf? Nightmares,” Scott admits. Isaac looks at him with his best hurt impression, but Scott redeems himself quickly by adding, “Which is weird because you’re actually pretty attractive as a human.”

Before Isaac can properly react to that, Stiles flips out and raises his hands in protest, mouth open in mock offense, “Oh, so you can tell him he’s attractive, but you can’t tell me that? Some friend you are.”  
Scott shoves at his friend, “That’s because you’re you.”

“Whuh? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means it doesn’t matter. If my defense, you would probably make an ugly wolf, too.”

“I would not! I would be sexy. And I would keep my eyebrows on.”

Isaac laughs at the two of them and simply watches their banter. Sitting there, with the two of them arguing over who would make the prettier wolf, he isn’t even bothered that he is still an outsider looking in. He knows if he’s silent long enough, one of them, usually Scott, will turn to him for a second opinion. In fact, he counts the seconds until it happens.

Only thirty of those seconds go by before Scott whirls around, extending a hand in the direction of Isaac. “Back me up here!” he whines, “Who ever heard of a wolf with a buzz cut anyway? It would just make his ears look weird.”

“What have you got against my ears?” Stiles chirps.

Isaac throws both hands up in defense and shakes his head. “I’m staying neutral on this one.”

“Come on, man,” Scott reaches over to Stiles and rubs a hand through his hair, going against the grain. Stiles’s neck flops like a bobblehead and he swats at Scott’s hand, but he doesn’t look annoyed. “I’m just teasing.”

“Yeah, yeah…” Stiles presses his hair down by rubbing his palms forward over his scalp. Isaac can’t tell the difference and isn’t quite sure why Stiles feels the need to fix his hair.

“Well,” Isaac offers suddenly, his mouth speaking before he lets it. “At least it’s easier to manage that way. Try dealing with these curls,” he says, raising his gaze to indicate the blonde mop on his head. Every day is a losing battle with his hair. Most of the time he lets it do what it pleases.

Scott, who by some freak reason of nature feels the need to reach out and touch his friends at every given opportunity, now extends his arm to Isaac’s head across the table to feel his hair. Instead of rubbing in the same way he did Stiles, he tugs at a curl and works it between his fingers before letting it bounce back. Isaac’s breathing stops and he fights hard to keep his heartbeat calm. Stiles may be used to having Scott touch him all the time, but Isaac is only used to the type of physical contact that brings him pain. Scott isn’t yanking his hair to get Isaac to follow him somewhere; he’s tugging it to watch his curls bounce. It’s new and strange and Isaac doesn’t know what to make of it.

Something subtle changes in Scott’s eyes and he draws his hand back. He clears his throat and says casually, “Your hair feels like a truffula tree.”

“A what?” Out of everything he expects Scott to say, that isn’t even in the ballpark.

“It’s from… nevermind,” Scott says. Stiles is looking back and forth between the two of them and bursts out laughing and just like that the tension is lifted. Isaac’s hair is ruffled about by both Scott and Stiles and Stiles calls him the Lorax and just like that Isaac feels like he is accepted by their friendship.

The Scott and Stiles duo is now a trio.

*

Training with Derek is proving more difficult now that Peter is around. Peter and Derek have conflicting ideas and will often squabble to the point that Isaac finds it easier to simply let his wolf subside and take a break. This happens more often than not.

Without the looming threat of Gerard, they train at the Hale House. There is more space available than the abandoned Beacon Hills Railroad Depot. Derek and Peter probably prefer the feel of staying in their family home and Isaac basically prefers the smell of leaves and trees and dirt to the smell of rusting beams and old grease. His wolf feels safer in the woods. He felt caged in that depot, and not just because Derek literally chained him inside a forgotten steel train car-shaped death trap.

The rival alpha pack symbol on the front door looks burned in. Derek leaves it up as a reminder to his dwindling pack that there are others out there, waiting. They have yet to catch even a whiff of the alpha pack on the wind, and Erica and Boyd are still missing. Derek is under the assumption that they have gone and joined the pack… or else found a different place to stay.

Or they are dead.

Isaac doesn’t like to think about it. The void that both Erica and Boyd left is large. They were beginning to feel like the brother and sister he’d never had. The three of them were a team. They had received the bite from their Alpha so close together. Something like that creates an unspoken bond. They trained together, they fought together, they played out Derek’s poorly written plans together. And now they were gone, and Isaac was alone with two bickering Hales.

“You need to bite another wolf!” Peter all but shouts. Isaac can hear the strict commanding tone in his voice. It’s a testament to Derek’s strength or annoyance that he doesn’t even flinch.

“Don’t you think there are enough wolves in Beacon Hills?” Derek says calmly.

“And yet none of them want to stay in your pack. Except buttercup over here,” Peter motions to Isaac and immediately follows with, “It’s a compliment,” which is directed right at Isaac.

Isaac holds his perfectly non-wolfed out hands up, making sure to stay out of yet another argument. 

“What about Stiles?” Peter asks.

Derek wastes no time in responding. He let’s out a sharp bark of, “No,” before Peter can even get another syllable in. “I’m not biting Stiles.”

Peter gives Derek a look that Isaac can easily interpret as disbelief, but maybe not for the reason he is thinking. “Good luck getting your pack together, then,” he says, his hands up in a mock surrender. He then grits out in a low growl, “You’re the fucking alpha.”

Derek scowls at his Uncle and says, “They will come back. All of them.”

Isaac pulls apart a leaf on the ground. He ticks off all the other werewolves in Beacon Hills in his head. First there’s Jackson. Isaac barely knows Jackson. He’s not even worried if he never joins Derek’s pack. Isaac had come into this game prepared to take Jackson down—not become a packmate. As far as he knows, Jackson wants his powers to himself. He’s not concerned with werewolf pack dynamics or anything that come with it. The chances of Jackson walking up to the Hale house and demanding training are so low, Isaac has a better chance of winning the lottery.

He makes a mental note to try to score some lottery tickets the second he turns 18. 

After Jackson, his mind immediately reverts to Erica and Boyd again. He is worried and there is no point in lying to himself about it. Derek told him a few days back that they had attempted to run away. It makes no sense to Isaac. Why would they want to? They knew… they all knew, that Derek brought them in to make himself stronger—not just to give them another option in their life. When Derek convinced them to join his pack, he made his intentions clear. They all knew they were stronger as a pack.

So why, why would they leave? When Isaac found out, he had gone for a long run in the woods to try and sniff them out, but any sign of Erica and Boyd were long gone. Perhaps they had run away after all. Maybe they hadn’t come into contact with the Alpha pack—the same pack that wasn’t coming out of hiding any time soon. They are simply leaving cryptic symbols everywhere. Isaac thinks it is getting old.

And yet, there is one more wolf in Beacon Hills and Isaac can’t help but inwardly smile when he thinks about him. If anyone could join Derek’s pack in the next few days, it would be Scott McCall. 

Isaac likes to think he has two packs: Derek’s and Scott’s. Derek’s pack is all politics and fighting and survival. Derek’s pack is filled with training sessions and pain and shouting.

Scott’s pack is different. Scott’s pack is filled with lacrosse and laughter and silly dog videos. Scott’s pack has Stiles and his Jeep and video games. Isaac almost doesn’t want to combine the two. He doesn’t want to ruin the pack dynamics with him and Scott and Stiles, but he also knows that for the safety of both packs, they need to combine.

He also knows that it’s impossible for him to learn properly under the guidance of Derek. As if on cue, Derek and Peter must have come to a conclusion because they turn in unison toward Isaac. Derek looks stoic, but Peter has a strange grin on his face. Isaac looks up at them in confusion.

“Get up,” Derek says strictly.

Isaac wastes no time in obeying his alpha. Peter takes a step forward, his canines elongating. Isaac looks back and forth from Derek’s unreadable face to the predatory face of the former alpha.

“We’re testing reflexes,” Derek says. “Be happy I warned you.”

Isaac barely has enough time to really understand what Derek means by that and suddenly Peter is launching himself at the younger wolf. Isaac shifts faster than he ever has in his short life as a werewolf and ducks just in time for Peter to catch his claws on the back of his shirt. Isaac pulls forward with all his strength and breaks free long enough to dash away and regain his footing. Peter gives chase out of instinct and Isaac grounds himself, ready to go toe to toe, head to head, claw to claw.

He knows it’s going to hurt before it happens, but he’s so used to pain by now that he can take it. It doesn’t mean he has to like it.

During his fight, he has one recurring thought and it is accompanied by the crinkle of skin around a pair of dark brown eyes on caramel skin.

_I need a different teacher._

*

Hours later, Isaac finds himself on the same block as the McCall household, but he doesn’t allow himself to get too close to the house. Scott’s mother knows about werewolves, now, and has taken extra precautions to make sure she knows when one is nearby. She hasn’t gone as far as circling her house in mountain ash, but there is wolfsbane growing in the garden in the back. Isaac doesn’t want to do anything to piss off Mrs. McCall, so he only makes certain to come over when he is invited by either her or Scott—and right now he is invited by neither.

The family car is not in the driveway so Isaac safely assumes Mrs. McCall is not home and he lets out a sigh of relief and he makes his way toward the residence. He ran the entire way here from the Hale House. He still looks worse for wear. All of his injuries have long since healed but he is still dirty and there are dead leaves in his hair. His clothing does not heal the way his skin does, and so his shirt is torn and matted and there are bloodstains on it. He looks much worse than he feels. Peter had not gone easy on him. 

In fact, there was a point where Isaac swore he saw Peter’s eyes glint red, but it must have been the afternoon sunset. Derek was there to pull the former alpha off him, anyway, and Isaac dismissed himself pretty quickly after that.

The only place he can even think of to go is to Scott’s house. He still has his status as a homeless runaway, despite still going to school. The system hasn’t tried to take him in, yet, which is nothing short of a miracle. Even though he never goes to his father’s house, any social worker can easily pick him up from school.

His situation is complicated and he knows it. 

At least in the Hale house he has a bed. It is essentially a mattress on the floor, but the safety that comes with it is much better than what he has grown accustomed to over the last six years. He still misses his father, but that part of him is slowly disappearing, too. A new, more confident Isaac is emerging and that same newfound confidence now has Isaac walking up the pathway to Scott’s door.

He intends on knocking like a civilized person. He doesn’t plan on going around to the side of the house, scaling the wall and bracing himself to tap a finger on Scott’s window, but he’s on his way to doing that without even realizing.

Before he can even tap the window, he hears his name coming from somewhere inside and he freezes. He doesn’t mean to listen in—it just sort of happens. He really should just turn tail and flee. He can face Derek and Peter and his mattress on the floor just fine. Instead, he stays, and he listens.

“What’s wrong with Isaac? He’s cool,” Scott’s voice moves back and forth across the room. He’s pacing and he’s on his cell phone. Isaac can’t tell who is on the other line. He can only hear Scott’s voice because it is so clear and only in the next room. The tinny sound from the cell phone only comes as a garbled noise, but he can tell it belongs to a female. Something deep in his gut churns.

“He’s in control, Allison. I can tell. I went through it, myself,” Scott sounds upset. Isaac frowns and not just because of the tone of Scott’s voice, but also because of the name Allison. 

The truth is Isaac is scared of very few people in the world now that he’s been given these amazing powers—but Allison is definitely one of those people. Isaac can rip her throat out easily, but that requires him to get close to her—and she has that horrid crossbow. She can take him down while he charges.

He has been on the receiving end of two of those arrows and they hurt like a bitch. He has even been on the receiving end of her daggers—all while Scott had watched. It had been humiliating and degrading and Isaac knew why he was distracted. He hated that Allison had taken advantage of his hesitation.

Isaac hoped—he still does actually, that Scott would just realize and accept the type of her person Allison could become. She is by no means insane, but she had let her grandfather warp her mind. The pack has yet to find Gerard’s body, so there is a very good chance he is still alive. Because while Gerard lives, Allison is a potential threat. She simply needs a good push in the right direction—or the wrong direction from Isaac’s point of view.

He is a part of Scott’s pack. Scott should have that need to protect his pack mates. So why is he still talking to her?

Isaac knows the reason, but he doesn’t want to think about it. It hurts him not just in an emotional way, but physically, too. Yes, his wounds had healed, but whenever he thought of Allison, they came back as if they had never left. The blades would twist in his side every time Scott mentioned her and he did. At length.

“Just trust me on this. You do still trust me, right?” Scott continues, his voice hitching. “Good. I trust you, too. I’m telling you right now: don’t even touch Isaac. He’s done nothing to you. Don’t even think about using him to get to Derek or to Peter. Tell that to your father as well. … yes, yes I realize that. Yes, Allison, I know I’m jumping to—yes. But you said I shouldn’t--! I’m not giving him up. He’s my friend. I… yes. Okay. Fine. Stop worrying so much. I’m fine.”

Scott hangs up and stares at his phone like it personally offended him, but then his eyes soften and he looks so sad. “Why do I love you?” he says, like he hasn’t hung up, yet. His fingers curl around the edges of the phone and he brings it to his mouth in a chaste kiss. Isaac’s heart breaks in a thousand ways to see Scott so torn up like this. He wants to reach out and climb inside Scott’s room. He wants to envelope the shorter boy in his arms and hold him and pet his hair and tell him jokes until his face brightens.

Instead he pulls away and makes his way back to the ground. He can’t bring himself to climb in on Scott like that. He’s too vulnerable. So Isaac marches around to the front of the house and knocks on the door like a proper house guest. He can hear every step Scott takes as he makes his way down the stairs and to the front door. Despite knowing he could probably pick up on Isaac’s scent, Scott still looks surprised to see him.

“Hey, Isaac! It’s… late. You okay?”

Isaac gives Scott a weak smile. He knows what he looks like. “Training,” he says in short. “Derek doesn’t have any running water at the Hale place. Can I… use your shower?”

Asking for the shower wasn’t Isaac’s original plan, but he is too scared to ask Scott about his true intentions. Scott lets Isaac inside without a questioning glance. “The good shower is upstairs and on the left. I could let you borrow some clothes, I guess,” Scott says with a shrug, leading the way.

“Thanks,” says Isaac. It’s all he can say. Scott can probably smell the dried blood and sweat and dirt on him so he doesn’t feel the need to explain himself further than he already has. As far as Scott knows, Isaac really is stopping by to use his shower.

They don’t say another word to each other as Isaac shuts himself in the bathroom and strips down completely. He lets the warm water rush over him and tries hard not to let the fact that he’s standing in Scott’s shower get to him. He takes a careful look at all the various shower products. This shower is clearly Scott’s or possibly the guest shower. There are no fancy hair products lining the walls. Mrs. McCall probably uses a shower attached to her bedroom. This house is certainly big enough for one of those, anyway.

Isaac pours a generous amount of Scott’s shampoo into his hand and works his hands into his hair, lathering it up. He closes his eyes and lets the smell of the soap rush over him. He knows it’s just a brand name of product, but it smells so much like Scott that he just wants to bathe in it. When he realizes again that he is actually in Scott’s shower and that he can do just that, he gets a bit light headed.

How creepy is he becoming? Isaac rests his head against the cool tile of the shower wall to help clear his mind. He knows he is completely justified in being angry and jealous about Allison. Scott is his friend… his first friend since Matt. Matt’s friendship was short-lived, too. They used to trade comics all the time, but ever since that swimming party at his father’s house, Matt had never been the same. He and Isaac drifted away. Isaac never made friends after that, so he thinks the world of Scott. Allison had tried to kill Isaac—could still be trying. There is a complete and total conflict of interest, there.

What Isaac doesn’t understand is how much it hurts somewhere in his chest to hear Scott say he still loves Allison. He doesn’t understand wanting to cover himself in Scott’s scent. He doesn’t understand staring at Scott’s jaw or the corners of his eyes. Surely friends act like this, right? Scott and Stiles are all over each other. Isaac wants that, but he only wants it with Scott. It’s not that Isaac doesn’t like Stiles, he just doesn’t get that same warm feeling that Scott gives him.

It’s all so confusing to him and he needs to sort it out, but he can’t sort anything out until he can get his wolf under control. He needs to rid himself of his headaches. He needs to learn which smells to ignore and which smells to pay attention to. He needs to learn how to scent emotions. He needs to be able to hold his own against Peter in case Derek decides to use him for training again. He needs to become stronger so that he can go out and look for Erica and Boyd himself. If and when that alpha pack decides to make itself seen, Isaac doesn’t want to be afraid. He has so much more on his plate than to worry about why Scott makes his insides turn or why Scott’s touch can both help him concentrate and lose his mind all at once.

Isaac steels himself and finishes his shower. He towels himself dry and changes into some of Scott’s spare clothing right there in the bathroom so that when he emerges, he is fresh and clean and dry and not at all naked. He glances about the hallway to gather which direction he needs to go and sees the door to Scott’s room open, so he heads inside.

Scott is lying on his bed, thumbing through his phone. When he sees Isaac he sits up quickly and quirks an eyebrow. Isaac can feel his eyes running up and down the length of his torso. Finally, Scott lets out a laugh pointed directly at Isaac’s middle.

Isaac looks down to see that the shirt Scott let him borrow is too short and just looks generally… off. If Isaac were to so much as raise his arms a bit, his midriff would show. He self consciously tugs at the hem of the shirt and can’t stop himself from blushing, “I can’t help it if you’re short!” he retorts.

“Hey!” Scott says in defense. He kicks his legs off the side of the bed and pats the spot next to him. “Sit down. You’ll look less ridiculous.”

Isaac hesitates and finally sits next to Scott, making sure to keep himself at a reasonable distance. He reminds himself that he is here for a reason, and the thumping heart in his chest will just have to take a vacation. “It’s your clothing, I’ll probably always look ridiculous,” Isaac shoots his friend a grin, trying to ease the situation a little bit so that he can segue his way into his official request.

“Hey, I could make you take them off right now.”

Aaand Scott really isn’t helping at all. Isaac closes his eyes and desperately fights for a change of subject, but he ends up heading squarely in the direction he has been trying to avoid. “Derek is a lousy teacher,” he blurts out.

When he opens his eyes, Scott looks like he’s recovering from a blush. Maybe he did know what he said earlier after all. His face contorts a little, though, obviously in shock from the strange change of subject. “What?” is all he manages to get out.

Isaac shrugs a bit, scooting himself up on the bed so he can lean up against the wall with a sigh. “Derek’s teaching methods. They don’t work,” he clarifies. He watches Scott’s face closely as he speaks, hoping beyond hope that Scott will give him the answer he wants from his unspoken question.

Scott just stares at him, his expression blank, and his lips slightly parted like he’s hovering between talking or not. Finally he says, “Okay?” And then, as if that weren’t good enough, he adds, “Derek is your alpha. It’s really up to him to teach you, isn’t it?”

“Well, who taught you when you were just learning?” Isaac throws the question out there.

“Um…” Scott’s brow furrows, “I learned most of it myself, I guess. Stiles helped a lot with the research. A chunk of it was instinct. And… then some of it was Derek but he never really answered my questions and he was cryptic as hell and annoying on top of it and oooh…” he cuts his string of words off and smiles to himself, finally understanding. “Yeah, he really is a crap teacher, isn’t he?”

Isaac grins along with Scott, relaxing a little. He knows, by pack standards, it is wrong of him to speak like this about his alpha, but Derek really doesn’t know what he is doing and he doesn’t have the people skills to pull it off properly. Scott is the alpha of his own pack, a different kind of pack and yet he has the people skills, or at least the hold over Isaac that can help him learn at a much faster rate than he has in the past. “You’re the only other wolf I can trust to answer my questions,” Isaac offers, still not really voicing his question.

“You want _me_ to teach you?” Scott’s eyebrows raise in shock as he turns sharply. “No. No way. I’m not a good teacher. I can’t even _learn_ at school properly. Have you _seen_ my grades?”

Isaac reaches out before he knows what he’s doing and places a hand at the crook of his elbow just like Scott had done all those blurred days ago. Scott’s panic seems to calm. “I think you will make an excellent teacher. Honestly, all I have are questions… questions I was hoping you could answer.” Isaac says slowly and deliberately, taking extra care not to worry Scott about the new responsibility.

“Questions?” Scott doesn’t move his arm away from Isaac’s. “Like what?”

“Like scenting emotions,” Isaac says with as much nonchalance as he can muster. “I can’t tell some of them apart. I can identify fear easily. It gets the wolf in me riled up. But the more subtle emotions? I can’t tell. How can I tell?”

Isaac can see the blush in Scott’s ears and cheeks before he can smell it. There’s a rise of muted blood that gives his cheeks the color. It smells awkward and Isaac can’t quite put a finger on it. He’s sure that once he learns the name of the emotion, it will become easier to pinpoint again. Scott clears his throat. “You kind of have to do some guesswork? Maybe? That’s what I did. It’s a mixture of facial expressions and heartbeats and things like that. Like sweating? That helps identify when someone is lying, or nervous or … something. Does that make sense?”

Isaac nods. This he already knows. “What about happiness? What does that smell like?”

“Happiness?” Scott repeats the word and gets a faraway look in his eyes as he is no doubt conjuring up a memory. “There’s a basic happiness feeling that sort of smells like cake.”

“Cake?”

“Maybe that’s just what I smell,” Scott says sheepishly. “But then again, happiness smells different on different people. When Stiles is happy it smells almost like embarrassment,” he laughs a bit and then pauses. “But for Allison, it’s different.”

Isaac can’t hide is scowl even if he tries, so he simply turns his head away at the mention of her name. Scott must be used to people getting annoyed with his Allison speech because he swallows loudly and it makes Isaac blurt out, “What does my happiness smell like?”

Scott frowns and finally places a hand over Isaac’s on his arm and tugs his hand away, placing it on the bed between them. “I don’t know. I don’t know if I’ve ever smelled happiness on you.”

He looks so sad and Isaac sniffs the air to see what it smells like. Is this sadness? Or guilt? Or pity? Isaac doesn’t know, but he doesn’t like it, either. He wants Scott to be able to scent his happiness. He wants it to smell better than cake. “What do you usually smell?” He asks instead.

Scott’s face falls like he doesn’t want to say. “Sadness.”

“What if my happiness smells like sadness?”

“That’s impossible,” Scott says and then cracks a smile. “And stupid. I don’t want you to smell like sadness.”

“I don’t either,” Isaac says truthfully. He glances sidelong at the alarm clock beside Scott’s bed where it flashes the time in bright red numbers. “I should probably head back before all the curfew patrols start driving around. But…” he stands up and stretches a little. “Thank you for the shower, and the clothes… I’ll bring them back, I promise.”

“No rush,” Scott says, standing up with him and walking him downstairs to the front door. The descent down the stairs is so much easier than going up them not that long ago. 

When they are at the bottom, Isaac hesitates before turning back to Scott. “So, is that a yes? You’ll be my werewolf tutor?”

Scott scrunches up his face. “Can we call me your coach? Or something? Tutor makes me sound like we have to sit over textbooks and I do enough of that already.”

Isaac can’t help but laugh as he agrees and a part of him soars high with gratitude. He can hit two birds with one stone like this. He can become a stronger member of both his packs and get the chance to spend more time with Scott. It’s a perfect scenario and he knows he’s smiling stupidly. And Scott is smiling back at him. “Great.”

Scott’s eyes widen. “Sweet.”

Isaac nods and heads for the door, thinking that is the end of their conversation, but suddenly there is a grip on his wrist and he is being pulled back. Scott’s nose is at his shoulder and he’s inhaling deeply. Isaac holds completely still until Scott murmurs against the fabric of his own shirt. “Sweet,” he repeats, finally letting Isaac go. “That’s what your happiness smells like. It’s a good smell on you.”

Isaac doesn’t know what to say so he keeps his smile plastered to his face. He knows his heart is beating loudly. He can hear it. He swears he can hear a second heartbeat just as loud and he knows he needs to get out of there and fast before he does something stupid like stare at Scott’s lips again. 

So, wordlessly, Isaac slips out the front door of the McCall house and when he makes it to the street, he gets down on all fours and just runs.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the comments and kudos. I'm going to get a chance to reply to all of them. I just wanted to be able to get this out first. I feel like I owe you all or something. :)

Chapter 2

Training at the Hale house becomes easier over time. Isaac has barely gotten any one on one learning time down with Scott, but just the fact that Scott is willing to teach him is enough to give Isaac that extra boost. Peter notices, at least, mostly since he is usually the one showing Isaac the ropes.

Derek watches and shouts instructions every now and then, but he mostly flips through a free copy of For Rent. At Peter’s request, they are looking for a townhome for their ragtag pack. Since it’s just the three of them, and Peter is starved for comfort, Derek begrudgingly looks for a place to stay other than the remains of a house that could collapse at any second and an old railroad depot that is on the waiting list for demolition.

More than ever, Isaac feels like he’s stuck between two parents that have long since been divorced but are forced together because of a new child. The irony is not lost on him.

Spring is coming faster than they all realize. Soon Isaac and Scott and Stiles are shedding their hoodies and making do with their T-shirts. The air between the three of them becomes easier and more relaxed. Scott and Isaac fall into a routine with their strange training regime.

Stiles has noticed a significant change in the two of them, and takes it upon himself to let them know at every opportunity.

“Stop smiling so much, Isaac. It creeps me out,” Stiles teases one day after school. Their afternoons are no longer filled with lacrosse now that the final is over. The three of them should really be studying for academic finals but the weather is too nice and the unanticipated tests seem so far away. They have taken to piling in the Jeep together and staying at Scott’s house until darkness falls or until either Stiles or Isaac is called away by Derek. On numerous occasions, Stiles drives Isaac back to the Hale house under the pretext that he needs to discuss things with Derek about the alpha pack, or that he has a lead on a good apartment. Isaac is just thankful for the ride.

The three of them are sitting about Scott’s room. Stiles is fixing the netting on his lacrosse stick and Scott and Isaac are cross-legged on the bed facing each other as if they are trying to meditate. Isaac’s eyes are closed but when Stiles speaks he cracks one open to look at him. “I can’t help it. This place smells like home.”

“Oh my god,” Stiles all but rolls his eyes. “I swear if you didn’t have super wolf powers, I would just hit you with this,” he holds up the lacrosse stick. “In fact, maybe I will anyway.” He swings the stick at Isaac who blocks it easily. It’s a testament to his friendship with Stiles that he doesn’t snap the stick. Stiles gives him a teasing grimace. “Yeah, yeah….” He says, pulling his stick back.

“Stop it, you two,” Scott says, his eyes still closed. “I’m trying to teach.”

“Ohhhhhoho!” Stiles catcalls a bit, grinning at his friends. He exchanges a quick glance with Isaac. “What have you done to my best friend? He’s doing homework. Well, werewolf homework, but still. Homework.”

“I just really want Isaac to learn, okay?” Scott says, finally opening his eyes. “Why is that so bad?”

“Because,” Stiles goes back to threading the strings on the head of his lacrosse stick, “It’s weird. You’re weirding me out.”

Isaac just grins and pats Scott on the knee to grab his attention. “Come on, let’s do that thing again. I think I finally got it.”

“Okay,” Scott closes his eyes again and holds out his hands. Isaac raises his own hands and they hover over Scott’s but only just barely. They have been working on this exercise for a while, now, and it is one of Isaac’s favorites. It’s a guilty pleasure for him and he’s not sure if Scott even realizes it or not. He’s long since mastered the technique, but if it means sitting close with Scott and getting a feel for him with total permission, Isaac is completely on board.

They came up with the idea after their third lesson. Scott’s advice up until that point had basically been teaching Isaac the scents of various emotions and how to tune out sounds and smells so that he can concentrate during class. When Isaac mentioned how he felt he needed a more practical application, Scott had come up with this.

The two of them clear their minds of everything, including Stiles sitting in Scott’s desk chair. They then proceed to identify one sound at a time. Isaac focuses on Scott’s heartbeat—strong and even. He can almost hear Scott’s lungs expand in his chest, the air rushing slowly in and out of his nose. He sniffs the air subtly and finds his world is filled with that familiar smell of fresh linen and drying laundry. He’s not sure if it’s the detergent Scott’s mother uses or the sheets. He tries to concentrate on Scott—to smell the spicy aroma that is distinctly him.

His right hand hovers over Scott’s left, and Scott’s right hand hovers over Isaac’s left. They’ve figured out that the best way to keep each other in total concentration is to make sure that they can simultaneously keep their hands steady. If one hand so much as falls a centimeter, it is a dead giveaway to both teacher and student that their concentration is slipping. The goal is to keep their hands steady and their minds clear for as long as they can—or until Stiles gets bored and throws something at them. Isaac finds that it’s a very effective way to keep his wolf in check. When he brings out the wolf to train, he can pinpoint his advanced senses to alert him to danger and attacks and to react quickly and with more precision. He hasn’t realized just how much his both his hands used to shake until recently.

Because the two of them are in such a heightened state of awareness, when one of them loses concentration and their hand slips, the sudden contact is like a supercharged jolt to their systems. Sometimes Isaac purposely lowers his hand just to receive that spark. Today, however, he wants to keep his concentration—he wants to try to show Scott that he’s the one that has been learning something. 

Minutes tick by. Isaac can hear Stiles sigh with exasperation and excuse himself to go raid Scott’s fridge, but he doesn’t allow his concentration to slip. He’s completely focused on holding his hands steady above and below Scott’s. Anything Stiles does at this point is white noise. In fact, Isaac is concentrating so hard on keeping his hands level that he doesn’t notice the change in the atmosphere once Stiles has left.

Scott and Isaac usually train within the company their mutual friend. It’s not really by choice, but Isaac doesn’t mind. Stiles seems to want to spend as much time as possible with his best friend and Isaac can tell why, now. There’s an air of relief to Stiles every time Scott asks to hang out. There’s even an air of happiness that permeates off Stiles every time they make it through a day where Scott doesn’t talk about how much he misses Allison. Isaac can understand the sentiment, but he does realize that Stiles has missed his best friend, and is just ecstatic to have him back.

Isaac knows the feeling.

It’s rare when Isaac and Scott are left alone, so he’s pretty sure his own happiness radiates off him when he gets to have that chance. It must have happened subconsciously because suddenly he feels that familiar jolt in his fingertips and his eyes fly open. The first thing he sees is a flash of amber. He’s aware that his own eyes must be glowing as well, due to the red in his vision. The electric current that slides between the two of them as their hands touch is too much to handle sometimes, and this time is no different. Every scent and sound that he has been concentrating on doubles back on him tenfold. Scott’s heartbeat is like a taiko drum next to his ear. They stay frozen like that, Scott’s fingertips on the heel of Isaac’s hand. 

Isaac doesn’t pull his eyes away from Scott’s. He doesn’t want to. The way they are staring, Isaac is almost certain he sees something different in Scott’s eyes… something he couldn’t quite place. It isn’t panic, it’s more need based. Want.

And then Scott is pulling his hands away like he’s been burned and puts them to his face, slapping his cheeks. The shocked look is gone and it is replaced with his laughing smile. “Looks like I lost that round, huh?” he says in that tone that indicates everything is completely normal and they hadn’t just shared a moment.

Isaac takes his hands back as well and shakes them in the air in front of him, mostly as a show to Scott. Personally, Isaac likes the tingly sensation on his palms, but he knows that’s strange and reacts accordingly. “I’m getting better, yeah?” he asks.

“Yeah,” Scott agrees. He pauses and opens his mouth as if he’s going to add something else but Stiles chooses that moment to burst into the room and Scott swallows back his comment. Isaac wants to glare at Stiles, but a thick wave of Stiles-flavored happiness hits him like a ton of bricks and he turns around to see his friend radiating with joy.

Stiles holds up his cell phone, “Derek texted, you guys. He found a place. Wanna go check it out?”

*

Isaac expects Derek’s place to be a dump, but he is pleasantly surprised. He is used to the conditions of the Hale house and the railroad depot. Derek may have enjoyed roughing it in a sleeping bag every night, but that isn’t Isaac or Peter’s idea of a good night’s sleep. Isaac is fairly certain Derek would have settled for a cheaper place, but Peter managed to convince him otherwise and for that, Isaac is thankful.

“Why did Derek text you of all people with the address?” Scott says from the passenger seat. The fact didn’t seem strange to Isaac earlier, but he realizes, now, that it’s probably weird. Stiles and Derek speak to each other often, but neither of them speak about the other one, ever. For all Isaac knows, they could be business partners. It’s not like they smelled like each other.

“I… I’ve been helping him look,” Stiles says with a sheepish shrug.

“What? When?” Scott blurts out. Isaac leans forward from his spot in the middle of the backseat to listen. He can almost choke on the embarrassment that seems to radiate off Stiles.

“Dude, all the time. He doesn’t know anything about how to do this stuff,” Stiles drums his thumbs on the steering wheel in agitation. “That’s what I’ve been talking to him about when I drop off Isaac. Right, curly wolf? Back me up, here!”

Isaac thinks back to all the times Stiles has driven him home to the Hale house and stayed to talk to Derek. He nods, “He has a point, Scott.”

“See? Thank you!” Stiles motions vaguely behind him in Isaac’s direction. Isaac isn’t sure why, but he feels more like he just helped with a cover-up story. 

Eventually, they pull up to the parking lot of the apartment complex. Derek has selected a one unity in a slew of apartments and townhomes located on the edge of town, hilariously named Happy Meadows. The thought of staying in a complex with a name as stupid as that just brings a grin to Isaac’s face. He would normally be embarrassed by such a name, but the fact that Derek will be living there too makes it all worthwhile.

Stiles is the first out of the Jeep, his hands furiously texting. Isaac is more than happy to tag along in the back with Scott. “Happy Meadows, huh?” he asks Scott, shoving his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans.

“Hey, you’re the one that’s going to have to live here, not me,” Scott says defensively, but he’s smiling. “I sure don’t see any Happy Meadows around here… just a lot of cars with donuts for wheels. And cigarette butts.” He crinkles his nose as he tries not to sniff the air too much.

“I know what you mean,” Isaac says, keeping his nose down and away from air currents. He knows he’ll get used to the smell. He’s been spoiled by the cleaner air at the preserve. 

“But it looks nice. It’s close to the preserve, that’s good. I know when I first changed, I ended up sleepshifting a lot. At least you won’t have that far to walk if you wake up in the middle of the forest naked.” Scott says.

“You woke up in the middle of the forest naked?” Isaac says incredulously. Scott has never shared this information with him, before. This is definitely interesting information.

Scott turns a bright shade of red that Isaac finds he rather enjoys. “Well, I had my boxers on, but it was still annoying.” He pauses and then turns to face Isaac directly. “You mean, you’ve never fallen asleep and shifted without realizing it?”

“No,” Isaac admits, confused. “Is that normal?”

“I don’t know… ?” Scott says slowly and then suddenly snaps his fingers, his face lighting up to show he’s only just realized the knows the answer. “The alpha! I mean, Peter. He was the alpha at the time. He made me do it. Derek never makes you do anything but pushups or something, right? That’s probably why.”

Yeah. Pushups and sit ups and complex obstacle courses with negative reinforcement if something goes wrong. Isaac does not respond well to negative reinforcement, which is probably why he is having trouble with his powers in the first place. Isaac just nods silently and lets the conversation drop into an awkward silence.

Stiles leads them to a white door with a large gold 4 on the front. He doesn’t need to knock because the door opens to reveal a very annoyed looking Derek. Stiles probably texted him that they were there. Doorbells were moot contraptions these days.

Derek doesn’t have to say anything. He leaves the door open and turns around to go back into the foyer, expecting the three of them to follow suit. Once inside, Isaac and Scott look around and nod their approval, but Stiles has to be vocal about it.

“Wow, this place is much bigger on the inside! It’s… white. And clean. Very clean. How much was the security deposit? Because you’re probably not going to get that back, and I’m not cleaning for you.” He’s spinning and talking and isn’t watching where he’s going and he bumps into Derek and a sudden wave of a strange emotion hits Isaac’s nose. It’s pleasant in a way, but it also feels private and intruding. He’s not sure what it is, and he turns to Scott to ask, but Scott’s eyes have gone wide and are darting from Derek to Stiles. He looks just as confused as Isaac, so Isaac assumes that he doesn’t know, either.

Stiles mutters apologies and shoots back from Derek like the alpha is toxic. He quickly excuses himself to the kitchen. Seconds later, there’s the sound of cabinets opening and closing and Derek rolls his eyes and follows Stiles out of the room, not bothering to hid his growl: “Don’t you dare break anything after only being here for two minutes…”

Isaac and Scott exchange startled looks and break out into a shared smile. Isaac can feel his heart warming up and he decides that he likes this place. Suddenly the name Happy Meadows is very fitting. He has to hand it to the cosmos—if his first memories inside a home are good, then he knows it’s a good place to be.

“Come on,” Scott nods his head toward the stairs, effectively ignoring the voices coming from the kitchen, “Let’s check out the rest of this place.”

It is a two story townhome, with the main floor consisting of a foyer and living room, a half bathroom and a kitchen with eat-in dining room. Isaac assumes all pack meetings will be held in the living room and they will therefore invest in a couch and he’s rather excited about that. As for the upstairs, however, there is barely even a hallway—it’s more like there’s a square in the middle of the floor with doors going off in every direction. There’s a full bathroom and three bedrooms. Isaac’s heart sinks a little bit—three bedrooms, that’s himself, Derek and Peter. No one will be sharing a room, and he is grateful about that, but the fact that Erica and Boyd do not have a room bothers Isaac. Has Derek already written them up as gone for good? Or will Isaac share a room with someone? Will all the betas except for Peter share a room?

If and when Jackson ever decides to join the pack, he won’t need a room seeing as he has a place to live already—the same goes for Scott. A part of Isaac mourns the idea that he won’t be sharing a room with Scott. He doesn’t want to dwell on anything depressing at the moment, so he concentrates on exploring his new home.

Isaac and Scott peek their heads into each of the rooms. They’re all bare. Isaac has a feeling they will be moving their belongings in all weekend—not that there is a lot to move. For all Isaac knows, Peter has a magical storage shed filled with his stuff. 

“It’s a nice place,” Scott says eventually, nodding a bit. “With a dresser and an actual bed, you’ll be living like a king.”

“Yeah,” Isaac shrugs, “But I’ll probably get the smallest room to myself.” The one without the closet.

“Better than roaches and rotten wood,” Scott offers. Isaac grins.

“Maybe Derek’ll let me put up posters or something,” Isaac says, acknowledging the empty walls. “Just because I’m a werewolf doesn’t mean I have to give up everything about me. You didn’t.”

There’s a look on Scott’s face that Isaac can’t quite decipher and he eventually says, “I gave up enough. Like my grades. But dude,” he tries to wipe that strange, sad look from his face and hits Isaac in the arm. He changes the subject abruptly. “I don’t even know what kind of bands you like. Or movies. That’s like the first step in collecting posters.”

A tiny flicker in the pit of Isaac’s stomach brightens. Scott wants to know his favorite bands and movies? They usually talk about werewolf business or lacrosse. Something as normal as movies and music seems almost foreign now. Isaac is deep in contemplation about his life choices and how he’d gotten to the point that weird is normal and normal is weird when he feels another nudge to his arm, and this one is much softer.

“Dude, you okay?” 

Isaac blinks and shakes his head to clear himself. He hasn’t realized he’s been spacing out, and he hopes he didn’t have a ridiculous look on his face. “Bands and movies, yeah. But first we should clear it with Derek.”

“Forget Derek, man. I know he’s your alpha and all, but it’s your room. Do what you want with it!”

“Okay, but you’ll help me, right?”

“Of course!”

“Promise?”

“I promise, Isaac.”

Isaac beams at his friend. He wants to point out that Scott is also Isaac’s alpha, in a way, and Isaac decides that he’d much rather listen to Scott’s advice than anything. So when he confronts Derek in the kitchen later, he doesn’t even bother asking about room decorations. He only asks which room is his (the small one) and if he can have a new, clean mattress (he can, but only after Stiles wines at Derek for not having a heart).

That night, after Stiles takes Scott home in his Jeep, Derek brings three sleeping bags in from his Camaro. Isaac doesn’t complain about sleeping in a bag that night. Instead, he focuses on the feel of an enclosed roof over his head, climate control, the smell of disinfectant and everything he wants to do with his new room.

He doesn’t even notice when Derek leaves and comes back with Peter late at night. Peter reeks of dead deer and women’s perfume. Isaac can smell it from his room. It doesn’t bother him though. Nothing bothers him. Everything is perfect.

*

With finals quickly approaching, Isaac finds he has very little time to decorate his room. Scott rarely ever comes over to help, and when he does, they spend the entire time studying. The looming exams make any relaxation time difficult.

Scott says it’s easier for him to study when he’s at Isaac’s house. His reasoning is that he’s spent so many hours just goofing off in his own bedroom that he finds it difficult to get into the studying mood. When Isaac suggests the library, Scott turns it down stating that the library is filled with distractions in the form of the internet and the comic book section.

Isaac has comic books, but he’s left most of them in his old room back at his father’s house. He had been an avid Spiderman fan… and he can’t help but to feel like maybe he’s living a Peter Parker life. Back when his world consisted of trading comics with his best friend Matt, things were so simple… and then Matt had left. Isaac’s home life turned terrible and his school life wasn’t any better. He couldn’t make any new friends and he tried to stay in the back of classrooms, quiet and reserved. He’d gotten a part-time job just to keep himself out of the house and away from his father. But then, everything changed when Derek came along and offered him the bite. Sure, it wasn’t a bite from a radioactive spider, but it in Isaac’s opinion it was much better. When Peter Parker had been bitten, he had to face the burden alone, but Isaac had a second family that he’d gained since the bite.

In fact, like Peter, he’d gained muscle mass and excelled in sports. He’d joined the lacrosse team. He may not have lost his uncle like Peter, but he did lose his father so soon after he’d been bitten. 

So when Isaac ran away and stayed with Derek, he didn’t bring his Spiderman comics with him. He felt as though he were living the comics, himself and could make his own journey. He didn’t need to live vicariously through an awkward teenage boy with super powers. He _was_ an awkward teenage boy with superpowers.

His room at the townhome now consists of a new mattress and an actual box spring. It’s still on the floor, but Isaac doesn’t mind. The box spring addition somehow makes everything so much more comfortable. He has a beat up dresser Scott found at a thrift store with his mother, so now he can actually separate his clothing. Getting ready for school takes a lot less effort. His walls are still bare, but his floor is strewn with random odds and ends as well as shoes, school supplies, and lacrosse gear. 

When Scott comes over, they mostly sit on his bed, their books and papers all around them.

“Is it possible to just partially wolf out?” Isaac asks one day. He’s lying down on his back on the mattress, tossing a rubix cube in the air. “You know, like just grow your claws or your teeth?”

“Yeah,” Scott says easily. He’s highlighting notes in a book and he’s not very good at picking out which ones so everything is covered in yellow ink. “I once had to just grow my nails long enough to get a bullet out of a grate. It just takes concentration.”

“I see…” Isaac trails off and lets the rubix cube fall to his side as he holds up a hand in front of his face. He stares at his nails and wills them to grow but nothing happens. “Is there a trick to it?”

Scott looks up from his notes and shrugs. “I was under pressure and knew I had to do it or Derek would die… so it just sort of happened. But I guess you can just ask the wolf part of you _really_ nicely?” he grins teasingly.

Isaac rolls his eyes and picks up the rubix cube again so that he can spin the parts around and make patterns with the colors. While he works, he can let his mind blank out a bit, and he tries to bring himself to that state of mind that occurs when he shifts, but he doesn’t let it go too far. Suddenly, a blue sticker tears on the cube and Isaac stares at his hands in awe. His claws are out. A quick flick of his tongue over his teeth shows that they haven’t elongated and he sits up quickly with a huge grin on his face. He looks to Scott triumphantly.

Instead of congratulating him, Scott just laughs and says, “Oh look, you got your nails did.”

Isaac laughs with him and his claws retract and shift back into their human state. Partial shifting is something else he can practice when Scott isn’t around. He’s determined to show off at a future study session.

Scott moves from his place on the floor and scoots next to Isaac on the bed and leans over, “Now that you’ve managed to give yourself a manicure, can you help me sort out these notes? This is a chemistry book, not a coloring book, but I’m failing to see the difference right now.” He plops the now yellow textbook and notes into Isaac’s lap.

Isaac sighs and flips to a blank page in Scott’s notebook, but not before seeing a couple of old “Scott + Allison” doodles. Really? They were Sophomores, not in 6th grade. For some reason, though, Isaac found it kind of endearing. Of course Scott would do something like that. “Here, let me just consolidate your notes. We’ll probably only need to learn about these things…”

As he lectures Scott, Isaac steals glances over at the shorter boy when he can. His brown eyes are squinting hard at the paper, as if the action would somehow force the information to stick in his brain. He hasn’t shaved in a day or two, and already tiny hairs are sprouting on his chin. Isaac himself hasn’t had anything in the facial hair department—maybe a rogue hair or two. He wants to reach out and poke at the whiskers but he doesn’t for fear of looking stupid.

He hasn’t realized he’s stopped talking until Scott looks up from his notes and raises his eyebrows. “Isaac? You okay? We were talking about balancing equations… and if I don’t know how to do this properly I’m going to just put arrows behind all of these stupid atoms just because it looks cool.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, no, don’t do that,” Isaac blinks a few times to snap himself from his reverie and looks back down at the notes and goes back into lecture mode.

He can’t help but to notice that this time, however, Scott has scooted just a little bit away from him. Isaac’s mood falls.

They go back and forth with Isaac tutoring Scott in school and Scott tutoring Isaac in werewolf abilities. Even though Stiles usually comes with them after school, it’s rare for him to be in the room with the two of them anymore. Nine times out of ten Stiles is elsewhere. Isaac assumes downstairs with Derek or Peter.

Isaac wants school to be a solace. If he doesn’t get to see Scott as much as he’d like to outside of school, then he tries to talk to Scott as much as he can in the hallways. He notices, more often than he’d like to admit, that while at school Scott tends to stick closer to Stiles. Isaac rarely sees Scott on the weekends. When he does see Scott first thing on Monday morning, he smells like Stiles.

In fact, ever since the move, Scott and Stiles spend more time hanging out with each other than they do with Isaac. The only time he even sees them is when they come over to the townhome. Gone are the days when Isaac would go home with them. When Isaac is often left to his own devices, he’s usually training with Derek and Peter, or trying to see what he can find on the whereabouts of the fabled Alpha Pack or Erica and Boyd.

He feels as though he’s the only one who even cares about the subject. When Isaac asks Derek about it, he’s shot down immediately and Peter’s answers are generally cryptic. Isaac hasn’t brought it up with Scott yet, because when he does finally get a chance to talk to Scott, he wants to spend his time talking about only things that make Scott smile. Even if he only gets to see that smile once a week, it’s worth it to Isaac. Even if Scott chooses Stiles as a best friend over Isaac, Isaac will always think of Scott as his best friend.

And yet, there’s a nagging spot in the back of his mind that Scott really doesn’t even care that much about him. Isaac feels as though maybe he was interesting to Scott for a while. They are brother werewolves after all—that had to mean something. But something has changed ever since the move. Isaac thinks maybe it has something to do with the practice session they had the day they looked at the townhome. Maybe now that Isaac has a decent place to live, Scott and Stiles are finished with him. The two of them were best friends before Isaac came along, after all.

The thoughts of a failed friendship swirl through Isaac’s head, poisoning his thoughts. He stops seeking Scott out at school. He stops asking the two of them to come over. If they want to come over, he argues, they can just do it. Derek has basically given them an open invitation.

Until then, Isaac finds himself feeling completely without a pack when just a month before, he’d felt like he had two.

*

One day after school, Isaac takes longer to gather his things at his locker than usual. His ears pick up quick footsteps and he’s hit so hard on the back of his head that his forehead bangs on the locker in front of him. He reaches a hand up instinctively to grab the wrist of the perpetrator, but ends up grasping at the air. A human wouldn't be able to dodge his reflexes, so he knows it has to be a wolf. He’s learned to block out most scents at will, now, but there’s no mistaking the overabundance of testosterone that fills his nostrils.

“Hey,” his attacker speaks harshly and Isaac groans inwardly. He doesn’t turn around to face the startling blue eyes he knows he’ll see. Instead, he continues to pack his bag as if he hadn’t been hit. 

“Go away, Jackson.”

“Stop moping around, Tinkerbelle. This is an intervention.”

Isaac finally turns around to glare at Jackson. He’s a bit surprised that the other co-captain of the lacrosse team is even bothering to talk to him, but he doesn’t show it. “What do you care?” he mutters.

Jackson’s mouth is drawn in a tight line and he looks like he’s trying to keep a lid on the volcano that is his temper. “Your fucking sadness follows you around like a depressing cloud everywhere you go. I’m surprised you aren’t leaving a trail of suicidal animals in your wake.”

Isaac stares at him and repeats, just as confused. “Again, what do you care?”

“I care,” Jackson all but rolls his eyes, “Because I’m the captain—“

“Co-captain.”

“CAPTAIN of this lacrosse team,” Jackson corrects him with a hardened stare, “And if you don’t fix whatever the hell this is by next season, I’m talking to Finstock about taking you off the team.”

“I’m not a car that you can just take to a shop and get fixed,” Isaac defends with a scowl. He adjusts his backpack on his shoulder.

“I don’t care,” Jackson says with a shrug. “Then just… go get laid or take some happy pills. Something. But just stop…” he gestures up and down towards Isaaac, “all of this.”

“Jackson, are you worried about me?” Isaac asks suddenly. It’s weird for Jackson to even confront him about something normal, but about feelings?

“No,” Jackson says. He doesn’t even blush and his heart rate stays the same. Isaac knows he’s telling the truth. “But other people are, and it’s getting on my nerves so seriously. Cut it out.”

Jackson’s words catch in Isaac’s ears. Someone else is worried for him? Then why don’t they just come to him with their worries? Why have Jackson be the one to do it? Isaac likes to think that he’s approachable—at least a little bit. He certainly doesn’t have the type of face that people would be afraid of—like Derek’s. 

Isaac opens his mouth to ask who is worried when he smells Lydia’s perfume before he sees her. She bounces up toward Jackson and slinks her arm around his. He navy blue top is low cut and her breasts are nearly perfect looking the way the collar of her shirt accents them. Jackson has noticed them too, and a strange but familiar smell wafts itself in Isaac’s direction.

“Hey,” Jackson says to Lydia, turning toward her. She smiles up at him and they share a quick kiss between them. That same smell comes off them in waves.

“You ready to go?” She asks, not even acknowledging Isaac’s presence. He’s not surprised. Jackson just nods like he’s suddenly very excited to head toward whatever destination they had in mind.

They start to leave, but before they do, Jackson nods toward Isaac and says in a lower tone. “Seriously, Lahey. Just get laid,” and with that, he and Lydia are heading out of the school, her hand moving from his arm to the back pocket of Jackson’s jeans.

It’s not until they’re gone and the scent of Lydia’s perfume dissipates along with that unidentified odor that put Isaac on edge, that he realizes what emotion he was smelling: arousal.

It is a strange smell. He knows he’s smelled it before, but he can’t remember just where. He also knows that if he ever comes across it again, he’ll know exactly how to identify it. Once he has a name for a scent, he can pick it up, even if he’s in the middle of a flower shop.

The next time Isaac smells arousal, it’s not until that evening.

After running across the preserve with the Hales, the small pack heads back to their townhome to start their round of showers. Isaac goes first to give his curls a chance to dry. As soon as he’s finished, Derek hops in after him, barely bothering to give his beta any privacy.

Isaac is used to it, and after pulling on some pajama pants, he makes his way to the kitchen to start something for dinner. He has no idea how much time has passed before he hears footsteps outside. It’s not uncommon for people to walk about the parking lot. With all the townhomes in close quarters, Isaac can hear the neighbors all the time—including during times he wish he couldn’t. The chime of Derek’s cell phone goes off upstairs, followed shortly by the water slowing and stopping.

There’s nothing out of the ordinary about anything. Isaac continues to stir the concoction on the stove. He knows Peter will follow Derek after the shower. Peter takes the longest to get himself ready and they’ve learned the hard way not to let him go first in the round of showers as he tends to take up all the hot water. His prediction is correct when the water starts up again and Derek comes downstairs with a towel around his waist.

What Isaac doesn't predict is that Derek goes straight to the door and opens it.

Curious, Isaac lowers the heat on the stove and trods over to the front door to see who it is.

That newly identified smell of arousal hits him first.

Both Scott and Stiles are standing on his doorstep, faces starting to flush. Of course it’s them. Isaac should have known. Stiles always texts Derek to open the front door. He doesn’t use the doorbell. But Scott could easily have texted Isaac. 

“You coming in?” Derek asks and steps aside, apparently not even bothered with the fact that there’s two teenagers at his doorstep leaking arousal. Like maybe something this messed up happens every day. Isaac feels like he’s walked in on something private. It’s not just coming off of Stiles, although his is stronger. Isaac looks at Scott, confused, but Scott won’t even look at him.

“I just remembered,” Scott says, backing up like he’d been caught doing something he shouldn’t. “I need to talk to Allison about something. About… stuff.” He looks desperately toward Stiles.

Stiles looks like he’s torn between coming in and going with Scott but in the end he sighs and throws his arm around Scott’s shoulders. “Okay, I’ll drive you.”

“Thanks,” Scott smiles at Stiles gratefully. Isaac feels like something inside him breaks, but he doesn’t get a chance to see much beyond that because Derek shuts the door in their faces, clearly annoyed.

Isaac doesn’t know what to make of what just happened. What had he witnessed? Why did Scott run away? Just…. What?

“Well, that was stupid.” Derek turns back to the stairs, probably going to go change into something that isn’t just a towel. He stops on the first step and turns back to Isaac. At first he looks like he’s going to say something to ease the look of confusion and betrayal on Isaac’s face, but then he doesn’t. He just sighs and rubs at the stubble on his cheek. “Don’t burn dinner.” And then he’s gone.

Isaac goes back into the kitchen in a daze. He doesn’t remember finishing cooking. He barely remembers eating. All he knows is that there is someone or something out there that’s pushing Scott’s buttons in a way that Isaac wants to press them.

The thought is liberating, but in an even sadder way. Suddenly he understands the possessiveness he’s shown toward Scott. It’s not just his desire to have and keep a best friend.

He’s attracted to Scott and he wants Scott to be attracted to him. If tonight taught Isaac anything about Scott it was that Scott was attracted to something that was distinctly not him.

He’s known it for a long time. After all, when he first met Scott, Allison was very nearly the biggest part of Scott’s life. But then that fight with her grandfather happened, and, well, everything changed after that. Isaac had no idea if and when Scott even spoke to Allison. For all he knew they still texted or wrote notes to each other. Scott’s attraction to Allison simply seemed inevitable and something Isaac knew would be around for a long time.

But Stiles? Or worse, Derek?

The way the two of them were flushed in the doorway, Derek could have opened the door on them in the middle of something. Or, one of the more likely of the options, Derek’s very wet and very naked body could have sparked something. Derek is a very attractive man, there’s no doubt about it… but he is the alpha. Any attraction to him just feels forbidden to Isaac. Not to mention the fact that his idea of helping Isaac heal is to break another of his bones.

Isaac knows that when Scott was with Allison, he blew off Stiles on more than one occasion. The amount of times Scott has had to apologize for that is enough to fill a book with expressions of contrite promises to never ditch him again. Is Scott doing that now, with Isaac? Is that why he has been spending all of his time with Stiles and not just for the fact that they are best friends? Is Isaac getting ditched before he can even make a dent in Scott’s life?

If Isaac felt alone and isolated before, it’s nothing compared to the feeling he has now. He lies away for hours, staring at his ceiling. He can’t close his eyes for fear of seeing Scott with Stiles and it just feels wrong to him. It feels so wrong that it goes beyond jealousy. In fact, it requires further investigation.

Because, if anything, the simple fact that Scott is attracted to someone other than Allison means that it is entirely possible for him to start to like Isaac. Maybe. If given enough time. Or pushes in the right direction.

And that's enough for him.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

When Isaac wakes up the next morning, he feels stupid. The phrase, “Everything will look brighter in the morning,” has never applied to him more than it does right now.

He rubs his eyes and fluffs his fingers through his curls and nearly laughs himself hoarse into his pillow. He knows that if Derek and Peter are in the house they can hear it and it probably makes him look silly, but he doesn’t care.

Because what the hell kind of mindset was he in last night? To think that Scott was in love with Stiles of all people. Sure Stiles is good looking. Isaac finds he quite admires those large brown eyes, but there’s a pair of brown eyes he finds so much more attractive. Scott and Stiles have been friends for years, haven’t they? Everyone in school knows them as the dynamic duo. There’s no way those two are anything but brothers.

Isaac rolls out of bed and slowly gets himself ready for school. It’s a Wednesday and that means absolutely nothing. Finals don’t start until next week, but the end of the school year buzz has already set upon the students. Isaac makes a mental list of everything he still needs to get ready by next week, including everything Scott needs to get ready, because in spite of whatever the hell happened last night, Isaac is still determined to get Scott some good grades for once. They’ve had a very dry spell on the drama front lately, and Isaac is starting to think maybe that’s why his own mind is creating drama for him.

Derek is downstairs making breakfast which is unusual. Isaac blinks the sleep from his eyes and steals a glance at his cell phone to check the time. “The full moon isn’t for another week and a half,” he says sleepily. “Post moon breakfast is a bit early don’t you think?”

Apparently, it was tradition in the Hale household to have a big breakfast after the full moon started to wane. Despite the fact that usually Derek’s family had had a nice, tasty meal of rabbits or other game, the shift always made them hungry in the morning whenever they finally woke up. While wolves may not appreciate pancakes, the human form certainly did. When Peter made it clear that he was back and back to stay—not just to lurk and offer advice, the breakfasts started again. Derek wouldn’t talk about them, but Peter would. In fact, Peter usually cooked them. So why was Derek…?

“We need to talk,” Derek says, attempting to flip a pancake and failing so that it just folds over on itself a third over. Isaac moves to sit at the table.

“I’m going to be late.”

“I’ll drive you.”

Isaac doesn’t want to pass up a ride in the Camaro so he lets his back pack drop. “What’s up?”

Derek looks uncomfortable and like he’s been forced to have this conversation by someone. Isaac briefly wonders who. “You’ve been improving.”

Isaac raises his eyebrows in surprise. Derek never compliments him. About anything. His training sessions are often filled with negative responses and more pain. If something does go right, he responds with silence. It’s either bad reinforcement or nothing at all. Isaac lights up a little at the praise.

“Don’t get let it get to your head. I know Scott is teaching you.”

“So?”

“So…” Derek looks at him like he thinks Isaac should be catching on by now. “Has he decided to join?”

Of course this conversation is going to be about that. Isaac shakes his head. “I don’t know. We haven’t talked about it. I thought you were done caring if he was a part of this pack or not?”

Derek’s face screws up into an expression Isaac can’t quite place. The faint smell of burning wafts up from the stove and Derek quickly removes the pancake and starts to pour the batter for another one. “I don’t need to remind you how small this pack is. Strength in numbers.”

Suddenly Isaac is angry, and he’s speaking before he thinks. “Strength in numbers? Why are you so bent out of shape about getting Scott into this pack? What about Jackson? Or is the fact that he spent most of this year trying to kill everyone deterring you? And what about… what about Erica? And Boyd?” Isaac swallows hard, choking a little on their names. “Have you forgotten about them so easily? I can’t even smell them anymore.”

Derek doesn’t turn from the stove. “Erica and Boyd chose to leave the pack.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I DO.” Derek says, loudly now. He turns slowly and slams the still hot skillet on the table. Isaac knows nothing about table finishes but he knows enough to know there will be a nice ring there, now. “They ran away. They aren’t coming back.”

“This is their home,” Isaac says, refusing to let himself back down. Derek’s anger is mostly for show. Isaac knows this. “They’ll come back. Now that most of the danger is gone, this is the safest place for them. They’re not stupid.”

Derek glowers.

Isaac takes a breath and continues. “We haven’t heard from that alpha pack, yet. Who’s to say they don’t have them? It’s been nearly two months. Isn’t it time we seek them out? What are they waiting for?”

Derek is silent for a moment and says, “Don’t you think I know that? I think about it every day. But we’re just not strong enough to seek them out. We can’t go on the offense until we have a good plan… a good team. And for that we need more numbers.”

“But you won’t bite anyone else.”

“No, I won’t.” Derek says as if it’s a final statement. Maybe he’s realized that everyone he bites runs away. Everyone but Isaac, and Isaac has no idea why he’s even staying anymore.

Isaac grabs the still hot pancake from the skillet that’s smoking a ring into the table and waggles it in Derek’s eyesight. “I’m going to school. Don’t bother about driving me.”

As he turns to leave, he can practically feel Derek physically slump in the kitchen, as if he’s going to throw out his last ditch effort—because he always needs to have the last word. “We need Scott in this pack. And I know you need him, too.”

Isaac hesitates for a second, but he doesn’t look back. He walks out the door, throws the pancake into the carefully trimmed hedges and runs all the way to school.

*

Throughout the entire school day, whenever Scott sees Isaac in the hallway, his cheeks darken and he turns the other way. If Stiles is close behind, he makes a weird apologetic motion toward Isaac and then turns to follow his friend. Occasionally Isaac picks up the, “Dude what is your _problem_?” coming from Stiles.

Despite not being able to talk to Scott like he wants, Isaac is determined not to walk the halls of the school with his head hung down. He pays attention in class. He takes notes. He doesn’t even get angry when he catches Jackson’s eye in the hallway and Jackson pouts and makes a slow motion tear glide down his cheek with his index finger. Isaac finds all of it amusing.

Not so long ago, he used to glide down the halls of this school with Erica. She’d taught him how to wear his leather jacket in a way that made it catch the air as they walked. Isaac misses that effect and wonders if he can pick up that attitude again. If he can’t have Erica here physically, then maybe he can channel her in spirit.

So he tries it. On his way to lunch he takes a deep breath and leaves his locker as if Erica were draped on his arm. A pang of loss hits Isaac’s heart but he keeps walking. If this is how he can remember Erica, then he’ll walk this way until he finds her. He can almost feel her there, the way her tiny fingers clutch at his elbow. He can even hear the sound of her hair as it falls behind her, feathering out in the same way her jacket does. He can even smell her body spray.

Except Erica doesn’t wear body spray.

Before Isaac can turn to see who is clutching his arm, a way too chipper female voice says, “Hey, Isaac.”

Isaac turns his head slowly, but he doesn’t come into contact with brown eyes and blonde hair. It’s just the opposite. His heart sinks in his chest and a cold feeling of dread comes over him. His sides give him a sudden stab of pain and he falters in his step. He can barely get out her name. “A… Allison.”

She smiles at him, but it’s a sad smile, and he knows she’s sorry for so much of what has happened. She wouldn’t be walking down the hallways of Beacon Hills High with her arm in his if she isn’t sorry. “How… are you?”

The question is innocent enough but it feels out of place. If Isaac has to fear one person in the world that isn’t Gerard, it is Allison. Her father, Chris, had been on their side during that fight—or so it seemed at the time. No, Allison is the only Argent he fears right now. He is very, very thankful she doesn’t have that werewolf sense of smell because he wants to keep his fear to himself. “I’m good.”

“That’s a lie.”

Isaac’s heart skips and not in a good way. How could she tell? She can’t possibly know something like that. He knows there’s panic in his eyes and she just laughs. “Everyone can tell, Isaac. It’s not a secret.”

“What is this, pity Isaac week?” Isaac blurts out, annoyed.

Allison stops walking and tugs on Isaac’s arm to get him to stop. He can get out of her grip easily, and he wants to, but something unseen prevents him. “I’m not pitying you. I just want to talk.”

“I haven’t done anything.”

“I never said you did. Will you stop being so defensive?”

Isaac can feel the growl building in his throat.

Allison sighs and bites her lip. “It’s about Scott. I know you two are close. I used to just talk to Stiles about this stuff but I can’t seem to get the two of them apart.”

Isaac knows the feeling, but he keeps quiet. He just lets her talk, but he raises his eyebrows to indicate that it’s okay for her to continue.

Allison lowers her voice, but Isaac has no problem hearing her properly. “It’s a stupid request, but I need to get some things back from him. I would normally do it myself but I’m not sure I can trust myself around him.”

Isaac stares at her incredulously, “What, you left a jacket at his house or something? That’s what this is about?”

Allison blushes and when she does, not even her makeup can cover it. She actually looks very lovely when she does that and Isaac can understand why Scott fell for her on a purely aesthetic level. The fact that she’s shot him twice and stabbed him is still putting his teeth on edge. “Well, not a jacket, exactly, but… yeah, basically.”

Isaac sighs and runs a hand through his curls. By now most of the people have either gone to class or to lunch. It’s just him and Allison in the halls. “Why should I do this for you?” he asks eventually.

“Because,” Allison starts out strong and then hesitates. “I don’t have anyone else to ask. If anyone else went into his room secretly it would just look weird.”

“And I won’t look weird?”

“Not if you’re his friend,” Allison says, her eyebrows crinkling in a way that shows she is beyond confused. “I thought you went over to his house all the time. Just… go grab this thing for me when he’s not looking.”

Isaac swallows, hard. “It’s not that easy, Allison. I haven’t been to his place in a long time. I’m not… I don’t even know if we’re talking right now.”

Allison laughs and it sounds like bells. “Whoever said there’s a difference between the sexes is completely wrong. Are you kidding me? Are you having a spat? Is this third grade?”

Who does this girl think she is? She doesn’t know anything. “It’s not like that.”

“Just tell me, can you do this or not?”

Isaac thinks on it for a second. He doesn’t want to, but if it gets him an in with Scott again, he’ll do it. He wants to go over to the house again. He misses the video games and peanut butter sandwiches and Melissa McCall. “I’ll do it. What do you need to get back?”

Allison smiles coyly and looks everywhere but at Isaac as she whispers, “It’s a bra.”

“What?!” Isaac says, a bit too loudly. Allison quickly scrambles her hands in front of his mouth to shush him so he repeats in a stage whisper. “You want me to get your bra?!”

“Not so loud!” Allison says anyway, eyes darting everywhere. “You already said you’ll do it, so you’re stuck. It’s black. And I need it back.”

“Why does Scott even have it in the first pla--- you know what? I’m better off not knowing.”

“He likes my scent,” she says with a shrug like this a completely normal thing.

Isaac can’t believe he’s hearing this. “I can’t believe I’m hearing this.”

“I put it in his top dresser drawer. When I went over to get my things a long while back, I must have missed it. He’s probably been too embarrassed to get it back to me since then.” Allison is still talking. Why is she still talking? Isaac knows his face is bright red. He doesn’t want to be thinking about this. This is not an ideal situation. Before he can say anything else, Allison is giving him a pat on the shoulder and smiling, “Knew I could count on you, Isaac. You’re great.”

Isaac glowers at her as she heads into the cafeteria and he proceeds to hate his life.

However, he knows what he has to do, now. Squashing down the need to shop for some rubber gloves and tongs for his daring feat, later, he makes his way into the cafeteria and makes a beeline for Scott’s and Stiles’ table. He sits down without bothering to make his way through the lunch line for any food (having strangely lost his appetite) and gives his friends a cheesy smile.

Scott shifts uncomfortably in his seat for a second but then returns the smile. Stiles looks like he wants to choke an ostrich. “Isaac. Buddy. Thank god. Where have you been? I’m so tired of listening to Scott mope all the time. Sit down. Stay a while.”

Scott is moping? Isaac quirks an eyebrow at the shorter wolf who is now slinking further into his seat. “Moping?” he says.

“Yeah,” Stiles says offhandedly, before Scott can answer for himself, “He’s being delusional and mostly just stupid and that’s coming from me—ow!” Stiles rubs at his arm where Scott has just punched him. “What? It’s true!”

Scott makes a face at Stiles just short of sticking his tongue out at him. “I’ll get it figured out, okay? Just… shut up.”

Stiles gives Isaac an exhaustive smile.

Isaac wants to just laugh and cry at the same time. He doesn’t want to think about what his brain considered truth last night. His thoughts couldn’t be further from fact. And now, what with his own head going in every which direction with Derek pulling him one way and Allison pulling him another, he doesn’t know which way to go. Sitting at the lunch table with Scott and Stiles again pulls him back into the world he’d once inhabited. The world where they were a trio. For a half an hour he can just forget everything that’s required of him. He knows it will do wonders for his stress.

“Sorry I’ve been so distant, then,” Isaac says with a shrug. “Didn’t realize I had that much of an impact. How about I come over tonight, then? We can live without studying for one night, right?” He likes to think his voice is even, and that he’s not radiating the weird combination of anxiety and happiness. To get to spend time with these two again, especially Scott, is just what he needs. And he can get Allison off his back. Win-win.

Scott gives Stile a panicked look but Stiles says, “Sure! Let’s all ride home in my Jeep. Like old times. Cool?”

“Cool,” says Isaac.

“….cool,” mumbles Scott.

*

When the second the bell rings, the three of them are bursting out the doors of class and making a mad dash for their lockers. Sometime between lunch and now, Scott has pulled himself together. He’s even gone so far as to playfully shove Isaac around to make it harder for him to grab his bag from his open locker.

“You can’t stay still, Isaac. What’s wrong?” Scott teases, shoving him every time Isaac reaches for his bag. “Stop moving so much. It’s not an earthquake.”

Isaac laughs and lets Scott push him. He’s pretty sure he can reach out and grab Scott’s wrist to stop him, but not sure enough to try. Scott has reflexes that he’s been used to for far longer than Isaac has. He’s thinking about possibly fighting back when Stiles’ voice appears behind them. “Aw, aren’t you girls adorable?”

Both of them flush, and both of them say, “Shut up, Stiles.”

It’s a good day.

*

Isaac forgets the existence of Allison’s bra once they leave the school grounds. In fact, he may have forgotten its existence even earlier. He is so caught up with Stiles drumming out Queen songs on his steering wheel and Scott playing air guitar to really even care about women’s undergarments. He’d much rather help out with back up drums and add the occasional out of tune vocals.

When the three of them pull up to Scott’s house, Stiles turns off the ignition in the Jeep, but they continue to finish Fat Bottom Girls at the top of their lungs as they pile out. Stiles is walking backwards and dancing ridiculously up the walkway and Scott is digging around in his pockets for his house keys. Isaac watches them fondly for a moment before he happens to glance upward at Scott’s door and freezes.

Scott notices it second, and Stiles doesn’t notice until he sees the inevitable looks on Scott’s and Isaac’s faces and turns around.

There on the door, in that same black scorch mark, is the sign for the rival alpha pack.

Isaac’s blood runs cold. They all know the sign. It’s been stuck on the Hale house door for two months as a constant reminder. Despite Derek’s words that morning, Isaac suddenly feels as though he’s been procrastinating, slacking. Maybe the alpha pack is tired of the completely neutral stance Derek’s pack is taking. To act first is probably a sign of turf war or something, and this is very clearly Hale territory. The alpha pack is biding their time for something, and now, they’ve decided, is the time to act.

“How do they know where I live?” Scott is the first to speak.

“Dude, you reek of werewolf. I bet they sniffed every house in the city looking for you. Probably what’s been taking them so long,” Stiles says.

“But they just know that a wolf lives here. They don’t know who the wolf is, right?” Scott says quietly, worried.

Isaac hates seeing Scott like this. Isaac can care less if he heads back to his father’s house and sees that same symbol on the door. The alpha pack can claw the walls down for all he cares. But Scott’s home is different. His small family is different. Isaac wants to protect Scott’s mother. He wants to protect the memories here. He places a caring hand on Scott’s shoulder and the shorter boy looks up at him with worried eyes—those same eyes that worry constantly about everyone and everything, no matter what. They’d been worried for Isaac a few times, and that’s why Isaac knows Scott has a big heart. Knowing his house and his family are in danger… it might break him. “Your mom is strong, and I know for a fact she takes precautions, now, to make sure she won’t get tricked by them. They won’t be able to use her to get to you.”

Scott swallows a lump in his throat, but he doesn’t look convinced. Isaac looks to Stiles for help, but he only shrugs and says, “There’s only one way to find out.”

Scott groans and fishes out the key to his house. To everyone’s relief, the house is properly locked. Despite this, however, the three of them enter it slowly, Scott first, then Stiles, then Isaac.

“Mom?” Scott calls, more for her sake than anything. Isaac knows the second they step inside that Mrs. McCall hasn’t been home for hours. There aren’t any unusual scents around, either. It’s just Scott and his mother and Stiles.

Stiles spins around in the living room and flaps his arms in relief, “I think they just left their calling card at the door.”

“Looks like it,” Isaac says, carefully making his way to the kitchen to open the door to the basement, just in case.

There’s a thud behind him and Isaac whirls around to see Scott sitting against the wall of the kitchen floor with his eyes closed. Isaac’s eyes soften as he closes the basement door, satisfied there aren’t any creepy wolves or vampires or witches or who knows what lurking down there to nab them.

“Scott,” he says gently, wanting desperately to reach out to him. His fingers twitch with want, but he lets them rest at his side, “It’s okay.”

“Is it?” Scott asks, his eyes opening slowly. His jaw is set and his breathing is irregular. Isaac can tell he’s on the edge of shifting and his emotions are going haywire. This was not the way any of them had expected the afternoon to go.

Isaac just nods, seeking to reassure him, “She’s probably still at work. The car is gone.”

“Yeah…” he agrees. He brings his hands to his face, probably willing his claws to stay where they are.

Isaac can’t take the distance, so he closes it a bit by stepping up to Scott’s slumped form on the floor and he kneels down in front of him, ducking his head a little. “Do you want to call her, just to make sure?”

Scott doesn’t answer verbally, but he does nod and pull out his cell phone. After a few strokes of the touch screen, the faint noise of ringing can he heard from the earpiece, followed by the sound of Melissa McCall’s voice.

_“Hi, this is Melissa McCall. Sorry I can’t get to my phone right now, but leave your name and number and I’ll get back to you. Thanks.”_

The tone for voicemail sounds and Scott is silent for a second before he hangs up. Isaac can sense the tension build again and he quickly takes a hold of Scott’s hand, phone and all. “She’s probably just busy. She can’t keep her phone on her all the time. Can you call the nurse’s station?” He can feel the tremors in Scott’s fingertips… can practically hear the blood rushing through his body.

“Dude,” Stiles’ voice sounds from the kitchen doorway and both Isaac and Scott jerk at the noise. “Let’s just go up there and see for ourselves. No sense waiting around freaking out.” He holds up the keys to his Jeep and jingles them. “She’ll be just fine, Scott, don’t worry.”

Scott nods and Isaac relinquishes his grip on his hand, but only enough to let himself get up, then he extends his hand again to help Scott, even if he doesn’t need it. Scott seems grateful for the hand up, though, and even gives Isaac a small smile which Isaac thinks is a step in the right direction.

They all pile into the Jeep for the second time that day, but this time they don’t sing off key to songs by Queen. The ride is somber and much of it is spent with all three of them gazing out one window or another.

Instead of going straight to the parking lot once they reach the hospital, Stiles pulls up to the front and lets Scott out. “We’ll be right there. You go find her first.”

Scott just nods and dashes inside while Stiles takes the Jeep to the parking lot. Once parked, Isaac leans forward between the seats and asks, “Have you texted Derek about this?”

“Yeah,” Stiles says immediately, holding up his phone. “Did it while at Scott’s place.” A pause. “Wait, why does that fall to me, anyway?”

“You text him more than anyone I know,” Isaac says matter-of-factly. And it’s true. Derek has a specific ring tone for texts from Stiles. It’s still one of the generic ring tones that comes with the phone, but it’s still annoying to hear the deedles at random times of the day.

Stiles just shrugs, “Someone has to keep him in check if you won’t do it.”

“Scott’s probably found his mom by now. Let’s head inside.” Isaac says, desperate to change the subject. He knows he’ll probably get an earful from Derek later on why he had to hear about the symbol from Stiles and not from Isaac who is his rightful beta. But right now, he has more pressing matters to attend to—like a freaked out Scott.

Isaac and Stiles walk casually to the hospital, both very certain that Scott’s mother is blissfully oblivious to the graffiti now decorating her front door. Isaac can scent the apprehension coiling around Stiles and he’s about to ask what’s up when Stiles blurts out a “Thank you.”

Isaac looks at him, dumbfounded. “That came out of nowhere.”

Stiles shrugs and says, “Thank you for doing this, I mean. I know this isn’t how we were hoping things would turn out but… it means a lot to Scott that you’re here. So, thanks.”

Isaac’s heart thuds in his chest and he can’t stop the corners of his lips curling into a smile. He probably looks stupid trying to pull them down, so he gives up the fight and just lets his face light up. “It’s no problem. I missed you guys.”

“Yeah, yeah. Who doesn’t miss me,” Stiles says, but he’s grinning. He kicks a foot ahead of him to trigger the sensor on the automatic doors and the two of them head toward the ward where Melissa is usually stationed.

Isaac hasn’t been to the hospital as much as Stiles has, so he mostly follows the other boy’s lead. Scott’s scent is strong, but it’s masked by the thousands of scents of dying people, disinfectant, other nurses and feet. Stiles knows where he’s going, though, and soon Isaac can hear Scott’s frantic voice and Melissa’s calming tone.

“You know you can’t just visit me at work like this, Scott.”

“But mom, you don’t understand, you could have been hurt.”

“Hurt? In a public place like this?” Melissa ‘s voice is stern but it’s laced with concern. “Honey, you knew I was working. Someone would have to be pretty crazy to try a stunt like that here.” She points to a random spot in the ceiling. “Cameras, remember?”

Scott looks frustrated, but at the same time overjoyed that his mother is okay. Isaac and Stiles exchange a relieved glance anyway. Despite the fact that they knew the outcome of their trip, it’s still nice to see that nothing has happened to Melissa.

“I still want you to be safe, mom. Carry… carry those things we talked about with you okay? I’ll just feel better.”

“Okay, Scott,” Melissa’s face softens and she leans forward to press a kiss to Scott’s forehead. “I promise, okay? But you still haven’t told me why you thought I was momnapped.”

Scott looks around him. There’s people passing by in every direction, but in his search he spots Isaac and Stiles. Isaac gives a little wave. Melissa glances in the direction Scott is looking and waves back with a, “Hi boys!”

Both Stiles and Isaac nod to her and take their cue to walk up to the McCalls. Stiles lets out a, “Fancy meeting you here!” and Isaac just nods.

“I don’t want to freak you out at work, mom, but no one broke in or stole anything. There was a um… a thing and it just freaked me out.” Scott tries to explain but his mother’s face makes him falter.

“No more secrets,” Melissa says. “We talked about this.”

Scott sighs and looks toward Isaac and Stiles for help and while Isaac would love to take the responsibility of telling the truth off Scott’s shoulders, he’s at a complete loss for what to say without alerting the entire nursing staff to the existence of werewolves.

Luckily, Stiles is better trained in the art of bad metaphor and just says, “Someone left us a nice present on the front door. Just think of it as a big game of door bell ditching, only with… you know.”

Melissa’s eyes grow wide and she jabs Scott in the chest with her finger. Scott winces, but Isaac doesn’t think it is from any physical pain. If anything, Melissa is probably jabbing him in the soul to the point that Isaac thinks maybe he winces a little, too. “You said all this nonsense was over!”

“Well there’s just… new stuff… now,” Scott’s demeanor has gone from excited that his mom is alive to very nearly scared of her. Well, he isn’t scared. Scott respects his mother. Isaac knows what it’s like to be afraid of a parent and Scott’s mother is someone to love and respect, not fear.

Melissa looks like she’s going to cry, but she steels herself in a way that Isaac’s pretty sure only a mother of a werewolf can and just says, “Be careful, honey.”

Scott relaxes, “I’m always careful, mom.”

Then Melissa looks directly at Isaac and Isaac knows she knows. She hasn’t seen him shift specifically, but she knows. Scott probably hasn’t told her, because to out another werewolf is the highest level of disrespect. No, Isaac’s fairly certain that Scott hasn’t had too many friends over, and now that Melissa knows Scott is a part of something bigger, she might just assume his new friends are werewolves, too. She reaches a hand out for Isaac to take and she holds it tightly. Her hands are cold from the hospital air, but soft. “If he’s not being careful, you let me know. Take care of him.”

Isaac swallows hard, knowing that it’s a big responsibility she is giving him. He makes doubly sure not to break eye contact with her as he nods briefly and just says, “I promise.” He’s telling the truth. He’s already promised to watch out for Scott anyway. There’s no way he can ever let any kind of harm ever come to him. Scott is far too important to him.

Melissa smiles and the moment is over, especially when Stiles throws his hands in the air and says, “I can take care of him, too!”

“Stiles, you just get him into trouble.”

“And I also get him out of it.”

Melissa just shakes her head sternly and says quietly. “Go home, boys. We’ll talk about this later.”

*

On the way back to Scott’s place, they all three get a text at the same time, but they don’t even have to check it to know who it is from. Scott is the first to pull out his phone and he rolls his eyes. “Guess we’re going to Happy Meadows, now.”

Isaac steals a glance down at his phone.

_My house. NOW._

Typical alpha.

Stiles lets out a sigh and makes a series of turns while grumbling, “He’d better give me money for gas. This baby doesn’t eat for free.”

“You don’t have to drive us everywhere you know,” Isaac points out. “Scott and I are perfectly capable of running everywhere on our own… and you can always ride Scott’s bike.”

Stiles scoffs, “Are you kidding me? Have you seen his bike? It has a bell.”

“Don’t diss my bike!” Scott says defensively. “Besides, as awesome as running is, I’d rather not have to take a shower every time I go somewhere.”

“Derek runs everywhere… mostly.” Isaac points out.

“And how often does Derek shower?”

“Often enough,” Isaac says, staring out the window. It’s comforting to watch the trees and houses go by. He’d much rather watch Scott, but it’s too easy for Scott to catch him staring in the close quarters of the Jeep, so Isaac has to compromise, somehow. “I’m eternally grateful that I’m not paying the water bill.”

“Hah!” Scott’s voice is filled with mirth and he punches Stiles in the arm. “Maybe he’s taking a shower right now. Maybe if you’re lucky, he’ll be wearing a shirt when he opens the door this time.”

“Shut up,” Stiles says and Isaac glances over just in time to see the blush creep up on his cheeks.

Embarrassment floods the Jeep so thickly that Isaac almost wants to roll down the window and stick out his head. Scott is laughing hysterically.

Isaac is slightly confused. “But Derek never puts a shirt on after he showers. Not if he’s not going anywhere for a while.” Stiles makes a noise and grips the steering wheel harder and Scott continues to laugh. Isaac just shrugs. “I mean, generally he just wears sweats or workout pants, so he’ll probably just be in that. And he goes commando because he says it’s easier when he shifts—“

“Oh my g—Isaac. Shut UP.” Stiles retorts. Scott has tears rolling down his cheeks.

Stiles’ face is red as a beet and the embarrassment he’s letting out quickly turns into something else Isaac has recently identified and suddenly Isaac understands. He understands a lot.

“Oh,” he says.

The three of them are silent for a long while. Or rather, Isaac and Stiles are silent. Scott is still quietly snickering and trying to come down from his fit of giggles. It doesn’t last long with the amount of awkwardness that soon follows, anyway.

When Scott is sufficiently calm, Isaac cracks a smirk. He can’t help it. He’s just so happy that it’s not just him. Sure, with the way everyone treats Danny at school, Isaac knows being gay or even bisexual isn’t as big a deal as it may have been years ago. Despite that fact, it’s always scary for someone to come out like that—even if they don’t even consider themselves anything yet. Isaac himself doesn’t identify as gay, or bisexual or any of the myriad of names people have for things. Pansexual, demisexual, omnisexual, asexual, whateversexual. Isaac never found himself properly attracted anyone but Scott, before. So he’s probably Scottsexual for all he cares. He does still care what his two best friends would think, though, so the fact that Scott is completely okay with Stiles liking Derek is a good omen for Isaac. The fact that Stiles even _likes_ Derek is also a good omen for Isaac. It explains the freak out from the night before, too, and Isaac is embarrassed all over again for thinking otherwise. Now that Isaac thinks about it, though, it makes a lot of sense. Stiles is usually the one wanting to come and see Derek, not Scott. Stiles spent a lot of time with Derek while Isaac and Scott hung out up in Isaac’s room.

But Isaac doesn’t think Derek reciprocates Stiles’ feelings at all. Stiles must know that, too, and yet he still does what he can to stay around Derek. Isaac finds it admirable, and he finds that he sees Stiles in a whole new light. He and Stiles are very similar in that they both want something they can’t have, and Isaac’s heart goes out to him.

But that doesn’t mean he still can’t tease him, so his smirk grows wider and he says quietly, almost at a mutter, “Sometimes I swear he sleeps naked.”

Scott busts out laughing all over again and Stiles grumbles underneath his breath, “I really fucking hate you.”

And yet, all three of them are back in good spirits by the time they reach Happy Meadows. It’s almost as if they’ve forgotten why they’ve been called there. So when Derek opens the front door, fully clothed and with a scowl, it takes everything they have not to erupt into fits of giggles.

The look of confusion on Derek’s face only makes them laugh harder.

Suddenly, Derek practically barks and his eyes flash red. “This is a serious matter and if you can’t handle it properly, leave and come back when you’ve grown up,” he spits out. His words instantly sober all three of them. It is instinct to bow ones head in submission to one’s alpha and Isaac soon finds himself doing just that. Once Derek seems satisfied that he’s successfully cowed the trio, he steps aside to let them in.

Peter is sitting at the kitchen table drinking something amber colored. He gives the three of them an odd look and takes a long drink. He’s usually filled with sarcastic remarks and witty banter but tonight he is silent. It causes a feeling of dread to settle in the pit of Isaac’s stomach. Isaac lets his eyes flicker to Derek.

The alpha stands at the head of the table, silently indicating that the three of them sit down around it, and they take their seats without question, all ears eager to hear what Derek has to say. All thoughts of the laughing moment they’d had earlier vanish.

“They left that mark as a warning,” Derek starts out.

“Well I could have told you that,” Peter says, swirling his drink around. Isaac realizes its apple juice and the fact strikes him as a little odd, but Peter has always been a little odd.

Derek ignores him. “It’s a warning for Scott. Scott may be a part of his own pack, but he’s still considered a lone wolf by normal pack standards, seeing as he is the only wolf in his pack.”

Isaac wants to say that isn’t true. He’s a part of Scott’s pack—in his own way. But instead he says, “So they want to kill him?”

Derek shakes his head and Isaac is filled with relief. “It’s an alpha pack. They want Scott to join them. If he refuses, then they’ll kill him.” The relief disappears.

“I’m not joining some stupid pack of alphas,” Scott says like it’s a bad taste in his mouth.

“How does that even work anyway? Is there an alpha alpha?” Stiles chips in.

Instead of Derek reprimanding him, he just looks at Stiles like he’s that dimwitted kid in class who raised their hand and accidentally got a question correct. “That’s a good question. They work as a unit. No one leader will go above the others, although sometimes that is not always the case.”

“So what does Scott do?” Isaac says, wanting to bring the conversation back to the matter at hand. He’s just promised Scott’s mother that he’ll do anything to protect Scott and he plans to start doing what he can right away. He’s already fairly certain he knows the answer, though. Derek already spoke to him about it that morning, after all.

“He needs to join a pack,” Derek says simply. “It’s either us, or them.”

“Talk about your ultimatum,” Stiles says intelligently.

Scott slumps in his seat, but Isaac can tell he’s thinking. Maybe what Derek said about a pack of alphas would ring true for this pack as well. If there was room for a whole pack of alphas to work together, then there was certainly room in this pack for two alphas. Scott must have been thinking about the same thing because he says clearly, “Derek is not my alpha and I’m not his, correct?”

Derek nods, “Correct.”

“And we work together? And discuss plans as a group?” Scott inquires.

A pause. “Yes.”

“Then I’ll do it.”

Something inside of Isaac swells. It’s like a sense of completion. He knows Scott is no doubt a member of this ragtag pack—and with Scott comes Stiles. The pack of three is now five. This will make them all stronger, and they know it.

There’s a grunt from beside Isaac and Peter stands up, finishing the last of his glass with a scowl. “Now that that’s settled. Ladies, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going out.”

No one stops him. If anything, Peter is a beta. It has to be a blow to anyone’s ego to have the sixteen year old kid he bit now become his alpha. Isaac can’t help but think pack dynamics are strange. Derek told him once before that an alpha can become a beta and that ranks change all the time, but once an alpha loses his status, chances are, he’ll want to get that status back again.

Before, Peter only had to contend with one alpha, and now he has two.

What a wonderful situation.

Except that smile Scott is sending Isaac from across the table makes Isaac quickly forget all about Peter. Scott is now officially his alpha and he is very, very okay with that.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A couple of things I want to point out:
> 
> 1) Last chapter, Scott mentioned the Chemistry/Coloring book thing with the highlighters. I COMPLETELY forgot Mr. Harris said that in a scene with Stiles mid season one. WOOPS. Scott wasn't there anyway, so maybe he just channelled Mr. Harris.
> 
> 2) This chapter is almost twice as long as the others. Woops.
> 
> 3) I know that the Teen Wolf novel "On Fire" isn't really considered canon by Jeff Davis' standards, but for the purposes of this story it is, okay? You don't have to read the novel to understand this story, but I urge you to read it anyway. There are some awesome tidbits from each of the characters' pasts. Scott mentions one of those tidbits in this chapter.
> 
> 4) Thank you for all the kudos and kind words. I realize that Scisaac is just a tiny corner of the fandom, but you guys are really great. Thank you so much for sticking with this fic.

Chapter 4

Everything seems to change overnight.

After Scott made the decision to join the pack the night before, making any proper plans on how to deal with the alpha pack turned out to be a moot point, especially since Peter left so abruptly. He didn’t return for the rest of the night. It wasn’t until Scott and Stiles finally left that Isaac brought Peter’s absence up with Derek. Derek didn’t seem too concerned over the disappearance. He told Isaac in as little words as possible that Peter could take care of himself and he would return when he felt he was good and ready. 

Despite outward appearances, Derek didn’t seem to trust Peter completely just yet—and Isaac could tell that even Scott didn’t feel too comfortable around the older man. Isaac has only ever known Peter as he is now—a sarcastic but helpful jerk who happens to know a hell of a lot more about the modern age and technology than his nephew. It didn’t escape his notice that Derek left an hour or so after Scott and Stiles. Isaac could only assume it was to check up on Peter.

When Isaac wakes the next morning, he feels refreshed and strong and he wonders if having two alphas does that to a wolf—or maybe it’s the fact that he’s now pack-bound with Scott. Either way, he barely notices that Peter still hasn’t come home. He only notes vaguely that Derek is home and he’s still asleep.

As Isaac gets ready for school alone, he suddenly panics. He’s not even sure what he can expect at school. How is he supposed to act? What does he say? Nothing really seemed to change dynamics-wise last night, but with a new day brings new perspective. Isaac’s already learned that lesson.

Just as Isaac is making sure the front door is locked, he hears the squeal of bad brakes and turns around to see the McCall’s beat-up family car pull up into the community parking lot.

Scott rolls down his window and tilts his head toward the passenger seat. “Mom’s off today, so I get to take the car to school. Get in.”

“Really?” Isaac’s eyes light up and to signify his complete and utter excitement over getting the chance to ride to school with Scott, he runs toward the car and jumps clear over the hood to the passenger side instead of running around to get to the door like a normal person. He slides inside and lets his backpack rest on his lap and he shoots Scott a wide grin. The McCall family car is small, and with Isaac’s tall frame, his curls just brush the top of the roof if he sits up too straight, so he slumps a bit and adjusts the collar of his leather jacket. “This beats running any day,” he says.

Scott pulls out of the lot and heads for the school, “You run every day?”

“Every day.”

“That’s a bit far, isn’t it? Why doesn’t Derek take you?” Scott frowns. 

Isaac snorts a bit and leans his head back on the headrest. “Derek hardly ever lets anyone ride in that thing. See? First day on the job and you’re already a better alpha.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Scott says dismissively, but he’s smiling anyway. “Derek knows more about being in a pack and werewolves and all of that.”

“But you know more about being a friend,” Isaac points out. “Which really isn’t all that different. For someone who grew up in a family of werewolves, Derek sure has a strange handle on what he calls pack dynamics.” Isaac is pretty sure it’s more of a personality flaw rather than know-how.

“I guess so,” Scott says and trails off a bit. Morning traffic is steep and he has to pay attention to the road, which Isaac understands. He doesn’t mind sitting in silence in Scott’s car with him, though. It gives him a chance to pretend to look out the window, but keep his eyes trained on Scott’s features. Scott has shaved this morning and Isaac can still smell the shaving cream on his skin. The mixture between the smooth scent of Barasol and Scott’s scent is enough to make Isaac want to just lean over the console and bury his nose in Scott’s neck. Isaac looks out his own window after that.

As it turns out, school is easier to handle than Isaac thinks. Allison probably hasn’t expected Isaac to get her required item back to her so soon because she doesn’t approach Isaac all day. He doesn’t want to have to make up any excuses or even have to talk to her about it at all, so he’s thankful for the reprieve.

After school, Scott takes Isaac home. Isaac isn’t surprised to find he is home alone, but he is thankful. Scott stays after very little coaxing on Isaac’s part, but they’re barely into making an after-school snack before Derek comes home.

He takes one look at Scott and Isaac in the kitchen and says, “Good. Pack meeting, now.” He’s only a little out of breath and the light sheen on his forehead indicates that he ran home. Really, if Isaac owned a Camaro as nice as Derek’s he’d never run anywhere.

Scott’s jaw drops, “What, just like that? What about Stiles and Peter?”

“Stiles is here,” Derek says.

As if on cue, the roar of Stiles’ Jeep comes within earshot and shuts off. In a few seconds, Stiles is standing in the open door, waving his phone around. “Think maybe I could have a little more warning next time? I have other things going on too, you know.”

“No, you don’t,” Derek corrects.

Stiles gives him a look that can only be described as flabbergasted and he even squeaks a little, “What? You don’t know that. I have a ton of things going on. And anyway, I can’t just make a u-turn every time you decide you want to see this beautiful face. The Jeep doesn’t run on hope and dreams.”

“Derek will give you money for gas,” Scott says. Derek shoots him a look but doesn’t argue it.

“Sweet,” Stiles does a mini dance and closes the door behind him. “So what’s this whole Dumbledore’s Army summons thing about?” Isaac grins at the reference but it seems to go over Derek’s head. It’s either that, or the older alpha just doesn’t seem to care. 

Derek’s face is stern. “We need to find Erica and Boyd.”

“Finally,” Isaac lets out a breath. He can feel the other’s turning to stare at him but he doesn’t care. Up until that point, he’d thought he was the only person who even cared that the two of them were gone. No one ever talked about them, and the subject was already dropped whenever Isaac brought it up. “What took you so long?”

At first Derek shoots Isaac an angry look, but on second glance it looks sad. “They haven’t been answering my calls,” he says.

What the—what? “They haven’t been answering my calls or texts for weeks,” Isaac retorts, confused. “This is nothing new. Their scent has been dissipating for ages.”

“Not that kind of call,” Derek explains. Oh. Isaac nods, understanding. The call of the alpha. Even if the two of them ran away, Derek is still their alpha, or at least until they find a new pack.

Scott chimes in this time, all but raising his hand. “So, wait. They aren’t coming when you call. What if they’re just trying to resist it? Trust me, I know it’s possible.”

“I can tell,” Derek says, his voice dark, “They’re getting the signal and they want to follow it, but they can’t.”

Isaac has no idea how Derek can tell all of that just by howling, but he’s impressed anyway. He imagines Derek throwing up a Bat signal and quickly pushes the thought from his mind. This is a serious subject, and Derek with a Commissioner Gordon mustache is not helping. Two full moons have gone by since the alpha pack left their mark on the Hale house. Derek often howled while they were running to signal for his betas to regroup. Maybe he had been howling for all his betas the entire time, and waiting not just for an answer from Isaac and Peter, but from Erica and Boyd as well. Maybe Derek really did care.

Hope begins to rise in Isaac’s chest. “Can you tell where they are?”

“No,” Derek gives a small shake of his head, “Just that they’re close by, which means the chances of them being in the care of the alpha pack are high. We need to get to that pack and we need to get to them quickly.”

“But we can’t fight them with just us. We don’t even know how many they have in their pack,” Scott says.

“We need to do this diplomatically. Keep the fighting to the minimum. Nothing is bloodier than a werewolf turf war, and I’m sure both parties want to keep their losses to a minimum. If they have Erica and Boyd, and are keeping them alive, then they are most likely testing us as a pack. They’re finding out where our loyalties lie.”

“If they’re testing us, it sounds like we’re failing,” Isaac spits out. He knows his voice is filled with malice, but he can’t help it. It’s taken them an awfully long time to get this far. The alpha pack probably thinks they’re all lazy or stupid or weak or worse, uncaring to what happens to other pack members. 

Suddenly Scott groans and Isaac’s entire body goes on alert. He sounds like he’s sick or hurt and all Isaac wants to do is figure out what’s wrong, but instead Scott just says, “Why are we just now coming up with this plan? Do you realize finals start in four days? Three if you don’t count today? How am I supposed to plan a rescue mission and still manage to pass my classes?”

Isaac understands where Scott is coming from, but he still feels a little hurt. “It can’t wait,” he says, his voice trembling and dripping with a malice he had no idea he could direct toward Scott. “These are our friends. How can you just leave them to die?” He knows his words are harsh and he hates being the one to say them to Scott. Stiles makes a little gasp from the other side of the kitchen like _‘I can’t believe he said that to him.’_

Scott looks like he’s been punched and his eyes droop, immediately looking guilty. Usually Scott is the one that needs to convince everyone around him to do the right thing. Even Derek seems surprised that the newest pack member has been told off. Scott’s eyes dart around the room to each of the others and he starts to retract his words, “I know. I know, I’m sorry. It’s just been a really trying week. Month. Year.” His eyes rest on Isaac’s like they’re begging for forgiveness. “Of course we’ll look. They would do the same for us right?”

“Right,” Isaac says immediately.

“Well…” Stiles starts, his face crunching a little, like he intends to bring up a counter point, but a swift punch in the arm by Derek shuts him up.

“We can start by tracking from Scott’s house. We’ll fan out from there,” Derek begins. Stiles holds up a hand and clears his throat. His other hand is still rubbing the spot on his upper arm where Derek punched him, though.

“You know what? Who is just as good as we are about tracking down werewolves? Hunters.” Stiles doesn’t even wait for anyone else to protest before he continues, “Let’s go ask the Argents.”

Isaac makes a move to protest. How can he do anything but protest? The last person he wants to deal with is an Argent. He doesn’t have the same relationship with this family as Scott or Stiles does. He immediately looks at Derek with wide eyes and shakes his head. Derek doesn’t look too happy with the situation either, and that at least gives Isaac a bit of breathing room.

But Scott, beautiful Scott, just nods like this is a good idea. What part of go to the people that want them dead is a good idea? Isaac wants to seriously re-think his mind and body’s taste in men when Scott says, “Yeah, they might have some leads that we’ve missed. I’ll go talk to them. Who wants to come with me? Isaac?”

Isaac’s not sure what kind of look he has on his face, but when Scott turns toward him with a smile and wide eyes, Isaac can’t help but just back up and shake his head. “No, you can go.”

Scott physically slumps but he seems to understand, thank god, and asks Stiles, instead. Isaac glances to Derek once again for help, but Derek, who is also a traitor, just says, “It’s best for Scott and Stiles to go. The Argents have no quarrel with you two.”

“You’re agreeing to ask them for help?” Isaac says.

“I’m not asking,” Derek deadpans. “They are. And they’re really just asking if the Argents have found anything that we could have missed.”

“Fine,” Isaac concedes even though he doesn’t like it. So long as he doesn’t have to work alongside them, he’s okay with it. For all he knows, the Argents could change their mind and kill all of them in a second, because really, what reason do they have to rescue two beta werewolves? He knows he cannot win this argument, so he swallows his pride and nods toward Scott and Stiles, but mostly Scott and says, “Be careful.”

They nod.

Derek decides that they need to leave right away. Isaac slumps against the kitchen door and waves weakly as Scott and Stiles say their goodbyes and leave in their respective vehicles. Isaac has no idea what he wanted to happen tonight, but he can’t help feeling a little Scottblocked. And now Scott is on his way to see Allison of all people? Allison, whose bra is somewhere in Scott’s room?

Allison’s scent used to be all over Scott, but recently, Scott’s been replacing that scent with his own. The last thing Isaac wants is to smell Allison all over Scott the next time he sees him. 

He needs a distraction and he knows it. He scowls and starts putting away the lunch meat he and Scott got out to make after school sandwiches. He doesn’t take his time and ends up just throwing the packages in the fridge and knocking over a bottle of ketchup in the process. He lets the fridge door slam and he whirls around on Derek, “So, what are you doing tonight, then? Because I can’t just sit around and wait.”

Not surprisingly, Derek is grabbing his keys and heading for the door. “I’m going with my original plan of sniffing out a trail at Scott’s house.”

“Don’t let Scott’s mom catch you doing that.”

“Ha ha,” Derek deadpans and closes the door behind him. He doesn’t bother saying bye. What a wonderful relationship.

Isaac leans against the kitchen counter for a moment, holding his head in his hands. On the one hand, he’s excited that they’re finally doing something about Erica and Boyd, but on the other hand, he feels completely useless. Everyone else is going off and doing their part in locating them and what is Isaac doing? Staying home and feeling miserable.

All at once, he knows what he needs to do. They’d expanded their pack by added Stiles and Scott, but they could keep expanding. There’s one more werewolf in Beacon Hills that hasn’t been accounted for:

So he goes to Jackson.

*

Going to Jackson’s house proves harder than Isaac realizes. In his attempt to help out his pack, he’d completely forgotten that Jackson lives across the street from Isaac’s old house. Memories Isaac would rather not re-live swirl around in his mind, even by simply walking on the sidewalk.

It’s such a strange street. Isaac by no means grew up poor, but he was also not very rich, either. His old neighborhood looks normal, and most of the houses are similar to each other, but then there’s Jackson pseudo-mansion and it sticks out like a sore thumb. The Porsche is in the driveway, so Isaac knows Jackson must be home. Isaac spent a great number of nights staring at that Porsche from his bedroom window and wishing he’d been born into a family like Jackson’s, but he’d never once been inside the house.

The front door looks modern and uninviting and Isaac wonders if he should even bother knocking. The sleek style of Jackson’s house also makes it difficult to scale the wall, so Isaac reluctantly realizes he needs to just suck it up and knock.

Before Isaac so much as raises his hand to the door, it’s opening before him and Jackson is standing there with an annoyed expression on his face and eating a piece of beef jerky.

“I could hear your stupid breathing all the way up the sidewalk,” Jackson says between chews, and then his face scrunches up, “And you smell. Why are you sweating?”

“I ran,” Isaac says, “It’s good exercise. You should try it someday.”

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t close this door in your face,” Jackson growls.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there’s a new alpha pack in town,” Isaac says quickly. He contemplates on whether or not he needs to stick his foot in the door to keep Jackson from closing it.

To Isaac’s relief, Jackson doesn’t close the door. “I haven’t noticed,” he says with a shrug, “Is it important?”

“They went after Scott,” Isaac says and then he turns his head to look at Jackson’s front door. It’s bare. “They were at his house. They haven’t come here looking for you?”

“No… should they?” Jackson still looks peeved.

Isaac shrugs, a bit unsure. “I don’t know. I thought maybe they would. It’s probably because you’re an omega.”

“A what?”

“A lone wolf.”

“Ah,” Jackson takes another bite out of his beef jerky, but he still doesn’t invite Isaac inside. Isaac waits a second for Jackson to say something else, but he doesn’t. Instead, he raises his eyebrows to indicate that it’s Isaac who needs to do the talking.

“Well, whether they come for you or not, being an omega is dangerous. He may not be in any danger from the hunters around here so long as you don’t kill anyone—“ Isaac pauses for a second. Jackson killed as the kanima, but obviously the hunters haven’t held that against him seeing as he was being controlled. Isaac has no idea how Jackson feels about any of this and he feels as though he is walking on eggshells. “There are other hunters who aren’t as lenient as the Argents. They will kill you without mercy as soon as they realize what you are. A pack will make you stronger… and you do want to be stronger, right?”

Jackson chews his beef jerky for a moment and Isaac hopes he’s at least mulling the thought over in his head. But what Jackson says instead horrifies Isaac, “You said this other pack was an alpha pack, right? Alphas are stronger. So wouldn’t joining that pack make me stronger than, say, joining your pack?”

Isaac should have known Jackson would pull something like this. In a way, he’s not even surprised, but he’s made it his goal to convert Jackson, and he quickly rummages through his brain to find a counter argument. “The alpha pack isn’t from around here, and as soon as their business is finished, they’ll leave. If you join their pack, you’ll have to leave with them.”

Jackson is silent for a second, and Isaac thinks it’s safe to continue. “Besides, we’re teammates, right?” Because bringing up lacrosse has to be Jackson’s weak point. It has to be. “And teammates stick together.”

Jackson reaches a hand out and flexes it in front of him and then makes a fist. When he flays his fingers out again, his claws are showing and his eyes flash blue. “I suppose I could join your little club, then. What’s in it for me?”

“I told you,” Isaac says, trying hard to keep himself calm instead of fist pumping in the air or smiling ten feet wide, “Being in a pack makes you stronger. We’re also gearing up to try and rescue Erica and Boyd from them.”

“That doesn’t really concern me.”

“More pack members, more power.”

“Keep talking.”

“There might also be a fight.”

Jackson grins slowly, and Isaac starts to wonder if maybe he was born to be a werewolf. The grin looks predatory and perfect on him and Isaac just knows that if he tried it, he would look like a gnome. “I could use a good fight. I’ll join your pack, but only to challenge myself against this stupid pack of bigshots. And I’m not going to sit around some fire with you and sing kumbayas.”

“Fair enough.” Isaac reaches his hand out for Jackson to shake. He stares at it for a second and then gives a light shrug before clasping their hands together in a firm handshake.

“Great,” Jackson says, still without humor, “You can go home, now.” Then he shuts the door in Isaac’s face.

Isaac doesn’t even mind. He feels accomplished, but he can’t shake a strange emotion growing in his gut. It feels like they are gearing up for war. 

*

Isaac takes his time going home. He doesn’t run. He doesn’t feel a need to. He actually stops and takes in the spring air. If there were a rosebush nearby, he would even go so far as to stop and smell it, just to say he did.

No one is home when he gets back. He checks his phone for messages, but he knows there isn’t a point. He would have heard the chime—not that he was listening for it.

He thinks about making dinner for everyone in case they come back, but then he thinks there is a good chance no one will come home tonight. He probably has the entire townhome to himself. He can run naked in the halls. He can dance in his socks. He can eat peanut butter straight from the jar and double dip all of his chips.

But Isaac doesn’t do any of these things. He goes upstairs and takes a shower and then he takes a nap.

…and suddenly he wakes up in his old bed in his old house. He can hear his father pacing downstairs and he strains his ears, dreading on whether or not he’s going to make his way up the stairs to Isaac’s room. It seems like the second his brain thought it, his fears have been realized and he can hear the footsteps getting closer. His father’s ragged breathing is heavy in Isaac’s ears and he knows that if he can just escape through the window, he can get away from his father. 

But when he goes to his window, it’s been barred. There’s laughter behind him and Isaac whirls around to see not his father, but Derek wearing his father’s clothes and his father’s glasses. Isaac recoils just as Derek’s eyes flash red and he reaches out to grab Isaac’s arm.

_“You were a failure as a son and you’re a failure as a wolf.”_

The words come from Derek’s mouth, but they sound like his father. Isaac tugs his arm back as hard as he can and he can feel the snap of his bone as if it happened to someone else far away.

He needs help. There’s no one to help him.

But then there’s a hand pushing through the bars on his window and Isaac takes it without looking because he knows who it is. Scott pulls him through the window and through the bars like they’re nothing. Isaac catches a brief flash of Scott’s eyes and they glow that familiar amber before he realizes that they aren’t standing on anything and he falls.

Isaac’s stomach drops and he wakes up in a cold sweat. His eyes dart about his room at the townhome—his rightful room—and he works hard to keep his breathing even. His dream fades quickly, and he almost forces himself to forget it. The only part he wants to remember is the feel of Scott’s hand in his

There is a lingering smell of Scott in the room and with it, Allison’s body spray. The momentary relief Isaac feels from the throes of his nightmare is squashed by that flowery smell. He’s only just awake enough to wonder why he’s even smelling it when Allison doesn’t even know where he lives.

When he throws off his covers, he hears the voices downstairs. They’re quiet, but not too hushed.

“—he’s sleeping upstairs, still. We probably shouldn’t bother him.”

Isaac’s heart skips a beat. It’s Scott’s voice. He’s back. That explains the scents left in his room. He silently hopes Allison isn’t downstairs as well.

“Well, go wake him up,” says another voice. Derek. He sounds irritated and rushed. The faint sound of jingling keys indicates that he just arrived home. How had Scott and Stiles gotten inside? Do they have a key? Did Isaac forget to lock the door when he came in? He can’t remember.

There’s hopping sounds coming from the stairs that means Scott is taking them two at a time, but the sound is a bit muffled which means he’s not wearing shoes. A quick scan of the room shows Scott’s shoes discarded by the foot of the bed. He really had been in Isaac’s room earlier. Had he been watching him sleep? The idea is both scary and thrilling, and Isaac suddenly finds himself aroused just at the thought of Scott being in the same room as he slept. A rush of panic overtakes him as he tries to squash down the feeling both mentally and with his blanket before Scott pokes his head in the door.

“Oh, good, you’re awake!” Scott says with a smile. “Derek’s home. Meeting part two, I guess.”

Isaac doesn’t know what to do or to say so he just nods. Scott steps the rest of the way into the room and sits down on the edge of the bed. Isaac wants to simultaneously curl up next to him and retreat to the furthest corner of the room.

“You sleep okay? I heard you tossing and turning,” Scott offers to fill the silence.

Isaac tries to speak but his throat is dry so he swallows hard and clears it a bit before trying again. “I’m good.” 

Scott makes a strange face at Isaac and reaches forward just to grab a pillow and hit Isaac upside the head with it. “I can tell when you’re lying, stupid. Everyone has nightmares every once in a while. It’s not a big deal.”

Isaac picks up the pillow and throws it back at Scott, “Doesn’t mean I want to talk about it. I’ve already forgotten it anyway,” which is enough of a truth that he doesn’t even feel like he’s lying.

Scott smiles at him anyway and stands up, tossing the pillow back onto the bed. Isaac wants to snatch the pillow up and add it to the pile of blankets in his lap. Scott glances toward the door briefly and says offhandedly, “We need to go downstairs.” He doesn’t sound too enthusiastic about it, and Isaac has to admit, he isn’t either. Isaac would much rather stay in his room with Scott and attempt to hide an erection all night than to face a pissed off Derek. The thought itself helps get rid of his problem, actually, so by the time he untangles himself from his sheets, he can get away with it.

But, oh god, Scott can probably smell it can’t he? Isaac thanks the ceiling that Scott isn’t bringing any attention to it as they make their way down the stairs to where Derek is pacing the kitchen impatiently and Stiles is munching on a piece of licorice.

The second they walk in, Derek rounds on Isaac, “Were you here the whole time?”

“No,” Isaac tries to keep his voice as even as possible without sounding like he wants to punch Derek in the face for being a jerk. “I went to see Jackson.”

Derek’s eyes widen in actual surprise. “Jackson?”

“Yeah,” Isaac says, thinking maybe he should play this off with a shrug and look cool in front of Scott. “I wanted to help out, too. So I convinced him to join the pack.”

“What, really?” Stiles says, his mouth filled with licorice. “You got him to join? Just like that? Did you promise him sexual favors or something?”

Isaac’s voice catches a second, more out of laughter than shock because, after all, it’s Stiles. “Just the promise of power, safety and a possible fight. You know, the usual.”

Derek reaches an arm out and Isaac almost flinches, but instead Derek just lets his hand fall on Isaac’s shoulder in a congratulatory pat. “Good job, Isaac.”

With just three words, Isaac can tell Derek is also apologizing for jumping on his case just now, and also accepting Isaac as a proper member of the pack and not just a new recruit. It’s as if Isaac has finally breached the newbie status and can now have special bathroom privileges. It’s more exciting than it sounds.

Derek breaks the small bonding moment by releasing Isaac and addressing the rest of the room. “I went to Scott’s house to see what I could find and there’s a faint trail to the west that hasn’t been covered. Either they want us to follow, or they were sloppy. My money’s on the former.”

“Hey, at least we have a direction,” Stiles shrugs.

“What did the hunters say?” Isaac asks. He’s more curious about Scott’s adventure and not just because Allison had been involved.

“The Argents have been tracking these wolves all throughout California,” Scott begins. Isaac almost wishes they had a map spread out on the table with little figurines, like from Monopoly, to signify the various groups in the area and their movements. Isaac wants to be the thimble. “Well, Oregon and Washington, too.” Stiles would be the car. “They’ve got a whole list of hunter contacts to call for more information, though, but they promised to keep us posted.” Derek should be the dog. “The alpha pack is dangerous if provoked so this has to be handled extremely delicately. So we all have to act like those boring guys on CNN.” Scott would be the hat because the hat can sit on the thimble.

It’s not until a few seconds after Scott has finished speaking that Isaac realizes he hasn’t even heard any of Scott’s speech. He’s still a bit groggy from having just woken up and the kitchen lights are too bright. He wants to just let his head rest on the kitchen table and listen to it vibrate as everyone else spoke, but he knows he needs to at least look alert and he shakes himself awake.

“Wow, Scott, it’s already like you’re one of those boring guys on CNN,” Stiles jokes, nodding toward Isaac.

Isaac bats off the notion with a wave of his hand, “Come on, there’s been a lot going on. I’m tired, but that doesn’t mean I’m not with you guys. Give me a second and I’ll be awake and we can go tonight to find these sons of bitches. The sooner, the better.”

Derek shakes his head, “We can’t go tonight. We need Peter. And Jackson.”

“And it’s a school night,” Scott says. “Which, I’m sorry, I know, but that’s important. If we want to keep any of this a secret we can’t pull these kinds of things on school nights.”

Stiles nods, “Scott has a point. My dad is on the edge about all of this. Seriously.”

Stiles’ agreement seems to have a nuclear effect on Scott and suddenly he just lets out everything he must have been keeping pent up for a long time. “And you know, I don’t know if I can even handle all this. Werewolf politics, wondering whether or not members of my pack are being tortured, adjusting to a new pack, teaming up with hunters, worrying for my mom, WORK, and now I have to make sure I pass all my finals not just barely but with actual decent grades and how the hell do I deal with all of this?” 

“You’ll figure it out,” Derek says with finality to his voice that indicates the conversation is over. He even exits the room thus bringing the meeting to a complete end. Stiles gives Derek a look that was clearly filled with expletives and annoyance at the older alpha for being so heartless and follows him out of the room, but Isaac hardly notices. He’s too focused on Scott.

It’s too much. There’s so much for Scott to have to handle, and Isaac doesn’t even know if he can relate or not. He’s been so caught up in being happy for some the reasons that Scott is upset. He wants Scott in his pack. He wants to go after the alpha pack. He likes studying with Scott and if it weren’t for these awful finals, he probably wouldn’t be spending so much time with his new alpha. He can’t believe he’s never stopped to think about how stressful it is for Scott and he feels like it’s his duty to help him in any way he can think of.

There’s only one area Isaac hasn’t managed to help Scott out with yet. Even though Derek and Stiles are gone, Isaac still lowers his voice as he says, “I can help you with the work stuff.” Scott’s heart skips a beat when Isaac offers and Isaac finds that interesting enough to store away for dwelling on later. “How about I come to the vet’s again and I can take your shifts for you, or relieve you of your work so you can study.”

It takes Scott a second to answer and Isaac has no idea why he’s hesitating for so long, but in the end he agrees and that’s the only part Isaac remembers.

*

Isaac doesn’t know when Scott’s regular hours are at the veterinary clinic. They seem all over the place. At first Isaac thought that Scott made his own hours, but later he learned that Dr. Deaton was just incredibly flexible. Isaac thought about getting a job at the clinic as well, but Dr. Deaton only had one assistant in the office at a time so if anything, Isaac would get to see Scott less.

The next day, the vet clinic is all Isaac can think about at school. It’s Friday, now, and Isaac knows there are a million things most teenagers would rather be doing on a Friday night, and spending all night in a veterinary clinic is not one of them. Isaac isn’t most teenagers, though, because getting a chance to have some one on one time with Scott far exceeds any amount of poop scooping he might be doing that night.

School lasts forever. Finals start that Monday, so every teacher is hurriedly playing catch-up on lesson plans. There are study guides passed out in nearly all of Isaac’s classes and there’s a general sense of anticipation laced with dread that just hangs over the school like a cloud of muck.

When that last bell rings, Isaac is nearly flying out of his seat and racing to his locker. Scott meets him a few seconds later with his giant grin—the one where his eyes scrunch up at the corners and his chin juts out and Isaac wants nothing more than to grab his face and kiss him, hard. It’s like he’s been waiting for tonight for weeks and all they’re going to do is work.

Scott’s mom has the night shift and so she took the car, probably because she would be leaving for work before Scott came home from his own shift. Because of this, Scott took his bike to school.

“You can ride my handlebars like E.T.” Scott says jokingly as he unlocks his bike chain.

“Ha, ha.” Isaac retorts. He slings the other strap of his backpack over his free shoulder. If he has to walk or jog or run, then he’ll do it. It makes no difference to him. “I’d probably break your bike, anyway.”

“No, you won’t. You can stand on the back wheels, though. Stile used to do it all the time,” Scott offers.

Isaac laughs, “Because Stiles is tiny. Come on, I’ll just race you. It’s good practice.”

Scott looks panicked and he leans close and keeps his voice down. Isaac mostly takes the opportunity to breath in Scott’s scent without him noticing. “You can’t get down on all fours, though, it’s daylight.”

Isaac cracks a grin and raises his eyebrows. “I’ll still beat you.”

“You’re on!”

*

No matter how fast Isaac sprints, it’s still near impossible to beat a racing bike. If he could just get down and run like normal, he would have won easily. He doesn’t mind the look of triumph on Scott’s face, though, or the teasing. He’ll take what he can get.

Dr. Deaton welcomes the both of them with his usual smile. Isaac likes the vet. He still hasn’t quite figured out what his role is in all of this, but he’s mostly just glad for his expertise and assistance. After all, Isaac has learned a lot under the watchful eye of Deaton. It was here in the vet’s office that Isaac even realized that he could become friends with Scott and not just two mutual werewolves in the same town… and lacrosse team for that matter.

He likes to think that Scott had that revelation, too.

Deaton says he doesn’t mind Isaac staying and helping out, but he cannot offer him any compensation. Isaac is more than happy to reveal that he’d like to think of himself as a volunteer and he’s just here to make Scott’s life easier. Scott blushes heavily at this and Deaton’s professional look deters briefly to one of curiosity, but he quickly pulls himself together and begins to delegate tasks for the two of them.

The evening progresses smoothly. The clinic isn’t as busy during the evening hours. Dr. Deaton does most of his work during the day when his customers bring in their sick or injured pets. Scott’s job as an after-hours assistant is mostly janitorial.

It’s not until they’ve finished hosing down the catch pans in the dog cages and disinfecting more than Isaac thinks is absolutely necessary, that Scott suddenly realizes just how helpful his boss can be considering their situation. “Why didn’t I think about asking him before?” He says, dropping his roll of paper towels and grabbing Isaac by the sleeve to get him to follow.

By now it’s after hours and Dr. Deaton has shut and locked the clinic door, so they don’t have to worry too much about privacy issues. They find the vet in his office mulling over some paperwork. They don’t have to say anything before he spins in his desk chair and asks, as if he’s been waiting for them to come in, “What can I do for you boys?”

Scott and Isaac exchange a look, but Scott is the one to speak up. “There’s a new alpha pack in town,” he says.

“So I’ve heard.”

Scott all but throws his hands in the air, “Does _everyone_ know?”

Deaton smiles. “Everyone who has been paying attention. You aren’t planning on seeking them out, are you?” His tone is light, but Isaac can easily tell it’s a façade. There’s an underlying danger that Deaton just isn’t telling them. Isaac swallows back his nervousness.

“They have our friends.”

“Well, we don’t know that for sure,” Scott clarifies.

“I’m pretty sure,” Isaac defends. He can feel it.

“You can’t go in and just attack them on a feeling,” Deaton sighs and rubs his eyes. Isaac knows the look. It’s the _You’re too young to be caught up in this mess_ look. “They’re dangerous… stronger than you can imagine. This needs to be handled carefully.”

“We know that,” Scott nearly whines. He’s bouncing a bit, anxious for information. Isaac wants to put a hand on his back to calm him down. “Do you know anything that can help us?”

“I’m afraid there’s nothing I can tell you that you don’t already know,” Deaton says. Isaac can see that it’s a political ploy. Deaton has no idea how much they know, but it’s a good way of saying I don’t know without sending up flags that he’s lying. He has definitely dealt with werewolves before. “I’m worried for you boys,” he adds, eyes darting back and forth between the two of them. “If something comes up, I can help bring up a solid defense, but my advice is to stay away from them if at all possible.”

Scott settles back and Isaac does, too, just by watching him.

Deaton gives them a soft smile when he notices them back off and he turns toward his desk to start stacking up his paperwork. “I need to head home, now. Are you two about finished with the closing tasks?”

Isaac has no idea how much they have left to do so he lets Scott answer. “Yeah, just a little more. I’ll lock up after we leave.”

This probably happens all the time because Dr. Deaton begins to gather his things and Scott heads back to the other room to clean up the disinfectant mess he’d just made. At first Isaac thinks it’s weird that Scott is allowed to close up the office without supervision, but Deaton has probably had a lot of time to build a trusting relationship with Scott. In fact, the way Scott is going about his work and ordering Isaac to help with the easier tasks, Isaac can tell it is common procedure for the vet to leave the closing to the assistant. It must be nice to feel trusted with so much responsibility like this.

When Dr. Deaton leaves, he calls out a few short orders and Scott acknowledges them. Isaac is busy mopping up the floor and trying to get a particularly stained spot off the floor so he doesn’t notice that Deaton is gone completely until a strange sense of stillness settles over the clinic.

As Isaac mops, he can feel Scott’s gaze on him, but every time he turns to look, Scott is looking elsewhere or extremely absorbed in his work. Isaac’s mouth turns up at the corner every time and he makes it his top priority to put a little more elbow grease into his mopping.

It’s the first time they’ve been completely alone in a very long time. There is no Stiles. Derek isn’t just downstairs. Dr. Deaton isn’t in the other room. They aren’t in a crowded cafeteria. They aren’t separated by a console and morning traffic. It’s just Isaac and Scott and a mop bucket.

Isaac has no idea what to do with himself.

He knows what he wants to do. He’s just disinfected so many stainless steel surfaces, he wouldn’t mind getting them dirty all over again if it meant having Scott. The thought doesn’t even surprise him anymore. He had a feeling it would happen at some point or another. He lets himself get lost in a fantasy involving Scott coming over and placing his skilled hands over Isaac’s and helping him mop.

Scott’s laughter breaks Isaac’s daydream and it doesn’t take him long to figure out why Scott is giggling. Isaac looks at the spot he’s been mopping. He hasn’t moved. “I think the floor is clean enough,” Scott says after a bit. He begins to put up the cleaning supplies into a cabinet. “Let’s just go home.”

Scott helps Isaac put up the mop bucket and the rest of the supplies. As they gather their things for the night Isaac says offhandedly, "You have the best boss, you know that, right?”

“Yeah,” Scott says, shifting his backpack on his shoulder. “I know. I won the boss lottery.”

As Scott does his final checks and locks up for the night, Isaac realizes the night is already over. He had been expecting some kind of amazing romantic revelation, or at least more time for conversation but he hadn’t known what to say and he ended up just silently helping Scott with his chores. The entire night has been anti-climatic, and Isaac isn’t in the mood to go home.

“Thanks,” Scott breaks the silence again and goes to unchain his bike, “Tonight went by super fast with you there.”

“Glad I could help,” Isaac says, stunned at how normal he sounds. He really wants to just grab Scott and hug him and tell him that he wants to help him in a thousand more ways and just mopping floors isn’t going to be enough. He wants to stop all the stress and keep Scott smiling for as long as possible, because so long as Scott is smiling, Isaac is smiling. But he doesn’t get to do any of that, instead he has to get back to Happy Meadows. He nudges his thumb in the general direction of the apartment. “I guess I should be going home then? You think we’ll be okay going our separate ways?”

Scott face contorts into a myriad of mixed emotions. At first he seems like this is a normal thing for Isaac to say, but then he suddenly looks sad. Or shocked and confused? Isaac is just as confused and if it weren’t for the mixed scent signals and indecision Isaac would think Scott is freaking out. It’s like he’s trying to ask a girl to prom and isn’t quite sure if the rejection is worth it. Isaac’s heart twinges in a comfortable way and Isaac just sighs. He gets it. It’s a Friday night and the two of them haven’t had the chance to really hang out like proper friends at all, really. It’s been either studying or work and no play, so Isaac makes the decision for him and asks, “Do you want me to come over? I can help keep guard over your house. Derek can handle himself.”

The relief all over Scott’s features is completely worth it and be breathes out a, “Yes, please,” before looking mortified, but Isaac flashes him a wide smile to help him feel at ease because, honestly, Scott wants him to come over. Just him. For normal hanging out purposes. Nothing wolf related. In spite of the looming danger they will be facing any day now, having one night to be normal friends is something Isaac can get behind. The obvious closeness he’ll gain just from being around Scott is completely bonus. Completely.

It’s night time, now and as actual predators of the night, it would make perfect sense for them to discard Scott’s bike and just run home, but that’s not what they do. Scott makes the trek alongside his bike and holds onto the handlebars as Isaac walks beside him, his hands shoved into the pockets of his leather jacket. The weather is still warm, but the night air is a bit cooling, and to Isaac it is perfect. The moon is a beautiful waxing gibbous and there’s no reason for them to fear it tonight. 

They make small talk the whole way home. Their conversation goes from talking about how nice the night is to talking about the moon and how the pull of it seems to tug at them in different ways. They talk about lacrosse season and all the training they want to put in over the summer. They keep the conversation away from Derek and the pack, away from Stiles and Allison, away from the looming finals. Neither of them want to talk about anything that stresses them out, it seems, and Isaac is fine with that. Even though he has a million questions he wants to ask Scott, he doesn’t bring any of them up if Scott doesn’t want to talk about them.

The family car is gone from the driveway, but Isaac knows Melissa McCall has already gone to work. It hits him that maybe Scott wasn’t worried about his mother but he was more worried about being alone tonight. Isaac isn’t here to guard Melissa or the house—he’s here to add backup to Scott in case a pack of alphas decides it’s a good idea for a midnight chat. Isaac feels a surge of pride because out of everyone Scott could ask, he asked Isaac. He’d wanted to feel that trust and upped responsibility before, and now he has it.

Once inside, they throw their jackets and backpacks on the couch and kick off their shoes. Scott pads up the stairs toward his room and beckons for Isaac to follow.

Just because Isaac wants to know for sure why he’s here, he lets his gaze purposely shift to the backpacks on the couch and asks, “Don’t you wanna study?”

Scott lets out a groan. “Really? On a Friday night? I’m too wound up, nothing will sink in. Let’s just play some video games. I have the new Resident Evil.”

Isaac doesn’t bother to hide the smile on his face and Scott’s gaze softens. Isaac doesn’t miss the slight upturn of his nose and he knows that Scott has caught a whiff of the happiness that he’s only described so far as ‘sweet.’ It only makes him smile more and Scott mimics it.

They take the stairs two at a time and Scott sprawls out on his bed on his stomach. He turns his Xbox on with the controller, and the TV clicks on along with it.

Isaac takes his controller and sits on the ground, his back against the bed and waits for Scott to navigate his way through the home screen and start the game.

Everything is completely normal for a while. Impatient to just let out some steam on some virus-infected humans, Scott breezes through the dialogue parts of the game and both Isaac and Scott button-smash their way through their troubles. Isaac forgets for a while that he’s pining for someone who only wants him around for friendship—someone who is still not over his first love. He forgets that he’s living with an alpha that reminds him of the man his father turned into at times. He forgets that at any point Peter Hale can turn into the man Derek and Scott claim he is. He forgets there’s an alpha pack hell bent on making his life and the lives of his pack members miserable.

He can tell that Scott is letting his worries go as well. His shoulders relax. During a portion of character dialogue they can’t skip, Scott even shifts from his spot on the bed and sits beside Isaac on the floor. This way they can make comments on the storyline and shove at each other when one person has to help save the other.

In fact, Isaac is so caught up in the euphoria of the moment that he hasn’t even realized how close the two of them have gotten. Their shoulders are touching and as the muscles in their lower arms flex while their thumbs move over the controller buttons, they occasional brush against each other. Once Isaac is aware of it, he can hardly think of anything else. He makes a conscious effort to lean harder against Scott and Scott either allows him to do this or doesn’t notice. Either way, Isaac is thrilled.

Then Isaac’s stomach decides it’s a good idea to ruin everything and growl. It makes perfect sense seeing as they skipped dinner in favor of relaxing after work. He turns to Scott to ask what he wants to eat, but he misjudged just how close they’d gotten and only makes it through, “Hey, Scott?”

“Yeah?” Scott whips his head to face Isaac and is just as surprised at their sudden closeness. Isaac freezes. He can see every detail in Scott’s face. Every hair, every outline, the curve of his nose, the mole on his chin… He lets his eyes drift over to Scott’s and get caught there in just how brown they are. He’s watching them intently and only perhaps a second passes, but it feels like an eternity.

Scott is the first to break eye contact but not in a way Isaac anticipates. The other werewolf’s eyes flick downward and Isaac realizes with a twist in his lower belly that Scott is looking at his lips. His lips? Surely it’s a fluke, right? It’s not like Scott wants to kiss him… right? All at once, Isaac’s mouth is dry and he licks his lips to try and help it, but he doesn’t help the situation at all.

Just when Isaac thinks that maybe, just maybe, Scott is leaning forward a little and that maybe he should lean forward as well, his stomach betrays him again. With their werewolf hearing, it sounds like the growl of a panther and just like that Scott twists away, redder than Isaac has ever seen him. “Wow, okay, right, yeah, I’m a bad host. You’re starving. I’ll just go and uh… and make some pizza rolls.” He stutters and gets up, keeping his back to Isaac.

Isaac swallows hard and watches Scott head for the door, “Pizza rolls sound awesome. Do you want me to go with you?” Because he really really wants whatever just happened to keep happening.

“No, it’s okay,” Scott waves him off and clears his throat. “I mean, you just… relax and I’ll be right back. It won’t take long.” And he leaves quickly, rushing down the stairs.

Isaac slumps against the side of the bed and runs a hand through his curls. What the hell was that, even? There was a connection there, even just for a second. Isaac could feel it, and so could Scott, obviously, if he was running away like that. Isaac doesn’t know what to make of it. Was it an accident? Maybe Scott got caught up in the heat of the moment and didn’t know what he was doing. There’s no way that Isaac could even be close to the type of person Scott wants to be with like that. Allison is a tough act to follow.

Oh, shit. Allison.

Isaac hates that the second Scott leaves the room he thinks about Allison’s request. Now really would be the perfect time to grab the bra now that he thinks about it. He listens for Scott downstairs and can hear the unmistakable clinking noise of frozen pizza rolls being dumped onto a plate.

Quietly, Isaac tiptoes to Scott’s dresser and opens the top drawer painstakingly slowly. He can’t find anything even resembling a bra and frowns. Allison said it would be there, right? He closes the drawer and makes for the second one and only manages to find a box of condoms hidden under the clothes. He fights back a flush and shoves the condoms back and closes the drawer.

This whole thing is stupid. He doesn’t want to go behind Scott’s back like this—not when he still keeps condoms in his drawer. The fact that they’re even there makes Isaac both excited and nauseous. He doesn’t want to think about Scott being with anyone else. He’d much rather think about Scott being with him but he can’t possibly think about that right now because if so much as gets a little hard Scott will know and that will be so awkward that Isaac doesn’t even want to think about it.

So he goes back to sit on Scott’s bed and come to the conclusion that if he wants this thing with Allison to go away, he’ll just have to talk to Scott about it. After all, they’re friends, right? Scott wouldn’t just invite anyone over to play zombie games with him, right? Surely he and Stiles talk about this kind of stuff. If they can do it, then so can Isaac.

The microwave is still running downstairs and Isaac literally twiddles his thumbs just for something to do. He’s trying hard not to think about anything. He’s trying extremely hard not to think about what Scott does on this bed sometimes at night when he’s alone—or maybe he’s not trying hard enough.

The thought gives him a revelation, though, and in a fit of inspiration, Isaac reaches under Scott’s mattress, in between the top mattress and the box spring. It’s a typical hiding place for teenage boys to hide interesting magazines and maybe, just maybe…

Isaac’s spirits fall. He was right about the magazine, so when he pulls out the Playboy he doesn’t even look twice at the front cover, but then he pulls out Allison’s bra.

Her bra was under his mattress. It’s been moved from the spot Allison said it would be. Next to a dirty magazine.

Isaac can’t even begin to hide the horrible direction is feelings take. He is now very sure he imagined Scott looking at his lips because there’s no way Scott would want him when he’s capable of getting a bombshell like Allison. He didn’t even find a gay magazine under the mattress… it’s a perfectly normal Playboy magazine, even if it’s a Christmas edition from last year.

The microwave dings and the sound cuts through Isaac’s sadness like one of Allison’s arrows. Isaac can hear Scott coming up so he quickly stuffs the magazine and the bra under the mattress again. He tries to look completely casual and not like any hope he’d been gathering up in his heart had just been smashed. When comes in with a plate full of exploded pizza rolls, Isaac tries his hardest to look interested.

Scott, completely oblivious, holds up the plate and gives Isaac a sheepish look. Isaac hates how cute he looks and he hates that his heart melts anyway. “I hate when they explode on me like this.”

“It’s okay,” Isaac waves it off. It’s not okay. He’s practically sitting on Allison’s bra. Nothing is okay.

Scott nods and sets the pizza rolls down on the bed next to Isaac and sits on the other side. Isaac notices the space between them and hates it. He hates everything.

So he blurts out, “Why do you still have Allison’s bra?” Everything includes himself, apparently.

All the blood seems to drain from Scott’s face and he gives Isaac a deer in headlights look, “What?”

 _He still hasn’t realized I’ve found it_ , Isaac thinks. His brain gives a mental sight of relief. “Allison told me to get it back from you. She wants it back.”

Scott eases up but only a little. He still looks sick. “Why didn’t she tell me herself? I’d have just given it back if she wanted it.”

“She said it would be weird and that she didn’t think she’d be able to control herself around you.” Isaac says, not even bothering to hide the disgust he is pretty sure he’s leaking.

“She said that?” Scott asks. He looks a little bit happy about that and it makes Isaac’s hopes fall even more. He didn’t even know they could sink any lower than they already had.

“Yeah…” Isaac trails off and looks everywhere but at Scott. Scott has to know he isn’t lying.

Scott is silent for a little while and Isaac is staring hard at the home screen for Resident Evil and trying hard not to let the world fall around him. He doesn’t even want to know what kind of emotions Scott is getting from him, but none of it is good. He knows this. It’s probably a sobering factor for him because he stops looking so happy and says, “I’ll give it back to her, myself. Thanks for letting me know.”

Isaac just nods. 

It’s quiet again after that. The closeness is gone. It’s been separated by a plate of pizza rolls and a bra. Isaac doesn’t want to eat but he forces himself to, just to give the impression that his world isn’t falling apart.

He knows Scott has to be mulling over something in his head. When Scott thinks, the whole room knows it. His face scrunches up. Apparently it’s nearly an impossible task for him to think, play video games and eat at the same time because he dies so often in the next ten minutes that Isaac wants to just throw his controller across the room in frustration.

After he’s died for the umpteenth time, Scott speaks up, and his voice is a shaking, unsure. “Have you ever been in love, Isaac?”

Isaac’s heart nearly leaps into his throat. “I don’t think so,” he manages out. It’s the truth. He’s not sure if he’s in love with Scott. He’s not sure what this is. It’s as if his emotions are controlling him and he’s just along for the ride.

Scott gives a little snort. “You’re lucky, then.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because it hurts,” Scott says. He dies in the game again and Isaac doesn’t revive him. He doesn’t do anything. He sits still. “It hurts when you can’t have it. It hurts when you have it; and it hurts when you lose it.”

Isaac swallows a lump in his throat and he can feel Scott’s eyes on him. He can’t bring himself to look just to make sure.

“Are you still in love with Allison?”

“I don’t know.” Scott answers almost immediately. Interesting. Isaac finds the courage to pry further.

“Do you want to be in love with her?”

“I told her I would wait for her.”

“Is that a yes?”

Scott just shrugs and watches his character get attacked by zombies. They both watch as Isaac’s character dies as well, considering he’s just been standing there. The game thoughtfully lets them know they’re dead but Isaac ignores it. He’s ignoring a lot of things and letting all his focus go into Scott. “I thought I was going to love her forever. I thought she was the only person for me. But look at me. It’s been two months and I’m back to my old self… well, sort of. The first time we broke up it was torture but this time… its easier.”

Isaac stares at his controller. On the surface it sounds like good news, but Isaac doesn’t want to let it get to him so soon. He still hasn’t recovered properly from when Scott tore his hopes to pieces and he doesn’t want to build them again so quickly. He’s too tired for that. His heart won’t let him rest, though, because it gets hung up on the fact that Scott said ‘person’ and not ‘girl.’

He’s not sure if he’s supposed to be serious or joking, so he just nods. “You never forget your first love,” Isaac says sagely. “I think I saw that on a fortune cookie once.”

Scott takes the quote seriously enough though so Isaac thinks he’s managed to get through another obstacle. “So do you think I’ll always love her? But not… not the same way?”

“I guess so,” Isaac says with a shrug. He’s not really the right person to be asking all of these things. He wants to tell Scott that he’ll get over her and fall in love with him and everything would be roses, but that’s just not the way life works. Nothing is every that cut and dry. Hope rises in him anyway and Isaac hates his heart more than anything right now. “That’s what all the great poets seem to think, right?”

“I don’t know. You know me and English class. I can’t remember any of their names,” Scott says.

Isaac finally looks up at Scott and they smile at each other. Isaac gives up entirely and just lets his heart melt because Scott is acting like he's dumb and it’s adorable. Isaac knows Scott's memory is better than that. He can't help but hope that maybe Scott is trying to keep him around as a tutor for a little longer. He’s so overcome with emotion for his friend that he doesn’t let his brain over-think things and he just lets his mouth work on its own accord. “I think it’s okay for you to move on. No one is going to think any less of you.”

“Yeah….”

“But Scott?” Isaac raises his eyebrows.

“Yeah?”

“Next time, don’t fall in love with a hunter, okay? Just make it a little easier on the rest of us.” Isaac tries to hide the disappointment in his voice. He refuses to let his hope get the better of him again. Scott may be getting over Allison, that part is true, but that doesn’t mean some other girl won’t come along and sweep him off his feet.

Scott laughs and replies, “Oh I don’t think that will be a problem.” He looks at Isaac with such fondness that Isaac has to force himself to believe Scott’s just grateful to have someone to listen to him.

“Good. Now press a button already, I’m tired of this looping music. Want to start up another game?” 

“Nah,” Scott shakes his head, “Let’s just eat and go to bed. Today was exhausting”

Bed? Isaac’s heart spikes again and he hates the fact that Scott probably caught that. “You want me to stay the night?”

“Well yeah, if you want to. It’s convenient right? Just text Derek.” Scott waves it off like it’s nothing. It probably is. Stiles probably stays the night all the time.

“Okay,” Isaac knows he’s seeping happiness and joy, but also a little apprehension. He has no idea if he’s doing this right. “Do I sleep on the couch? I’ve never stayed over at a friend’s house before…”

Scott looks at him with wide eyes. It appears as though Isaac will never cease to stop shocking Scott this night, “What, never? Are you serious?”

“Completely.” Isaac says but then he smirks a little. It’s hard to imagine he was so angry and hated everything just a few minutes ago and now he’s so happy he can skip through a field of wolfsbane and not be affected. “Are we supposed to do each other’s nails and braid our hair and tell each other our deepest, darkest secrets?” he teases.

Scott returns the smirk, “Something like that.”

They laugh and Isaac pulls out his phone to text Derek his whereabouts. He doesn’t bother reading the return text.

The two of them eat some pizza rolls and somewhere between growing their fingernails and stabbing pizza rolls on the end of them, they put on a DVD. They let the movie play and take turns getting ready for bed. They end up sprawled out on the bed spread lying across the middle with their feet hanging off the end. American Werewolf in London continues to run forgotten in the darkened room, but Isaac hasn’t paid attention to a second of it.

He’s happy to have a proper friend, even if he’s pretty much in love with him and overly ecstatic to be lying in the same bed with him, breathing in his scent and resisting the urge to roll around in it… or to possibly just roll around on Scott.

The drum of the television and the cozy feeling surrounding the two of them causes Isaac to doze off a little, and he falls to his side, just facing Scott. He’s brought out of his daze when Scott says quietly, “You know something, Isaac?”

Isaac just lets out a little, “Hmmm?” but he’s listening. Scott probably hasn’t been paying attention to the movie then, either. The tone of his voice indicates that he’s probably spent the whole time lost in his thoughts. 

“My parents divorced when I was just a kid, but I was so happy to see my father go that I didn’t care. Most kids talk about how terrible a divorce is but I was just glad to be rid of him.” Scott shifts on the bed so that he’s on his side facing Isaac.

Isaac cracks an eye open to let Scott know he’s actively aware, but he doesn’t say anything. He wonders why Scott is telling him all of this, but it’s too much effort to let his vocal chords work. Scott probably isn’t expecting him to say anything because he continues anyway. Isaac watches his mouth move while he speaks.

“He wasn’t the best father… he was always concerned with money. My asthma… he didn’t think it was a real problem. Said I was faking it. He didn’t like my mom buying me inhalers. I hated using them. Every breath cost money. I wished I could just be cured so maybe he wouldn’t be so mean to us.” He pauses and Isaac holds still, still unsure of what to say. Scott probably hates the silence because he keeps filling it with words. “You said once that what we’ve been given... it’s a gift. I didn’t agree with you. I’m still not sure that I do, but I don’t have to use that inhaler anymore, and if this didn’t happen to us, we probably wouldn’t have met so… maybe you’re on to something.”

And Scott is smiling softly at Isaac and Isaac is so completely lost in everything that is so completely Scott. He is absolutely floored that Scott was willing share such an intimate part of his past with him. It was no secret what Mr. Lahey did to Isaac—and Isaac can’t help but to think that maybe that past is the reason Scott felt comfortable enough to share this secret with him. Isaac is the only person who understands. The two of them not only have a bond between them because of their shared lycanthropy and from the pack, but they also have lacrosse and Stiles and their fathers. Isaac feels like words cannot properly convey all of the warmth and admiration and love he feels for Scott in that moment so he just lets the emotions wash over him. Scott understands him and he understands Scott. If they can’t have anything else, then they can at least have this. His hand searches for Scott’s and when he finds it, he gives it a gentle squeeze. Scott doesn’t pull his hand away, but instead returns the action. They stay like that for a while, letting the movie run in the background and lull them both to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been re-watching Season 2 and I realized two things:
> 
> 1) I never even bothered mentioning Camden, Isaac's older brother. Way to brain lapse, me. I'm so, so sorry.
> 
> 2) I also never bothered mentioning the reaction Jackson's family and classmates would probably have to him coming back to school after supposedly DYING during the lacrosse final. Seriously. I'm ridiculous. I don't know why you all keep reading this.
> 
> On a side note: Erica is a strong BAMF of a gal and I adore her. Sorry this fic has gone from Scisaac fluff to having an actual plot. It helps show teamwork and the slow build of relationship over pack adversity okay? Okay. I love you guys.

Chapter 5

Soft sunlight filters through Scott’s window and slowly moves across the room in delicate lines until it comes into contact with Isaac’s face. The warmth and the light wake him up slowly. It takes him a couple of seconds to realize where he is. Various musicians and bands stare at him from the walls of Scott’s room. The television has timed itself off from the night before, but he can still hear the whir of the DVD player. He’s surprised he even slept through that.

His back is warm and as Isaac slowly becomes aware of exactly where he is in Scott’s room, he can’t fight the smile that threatens to tug at his lips. There’s a puff of soft and even breath at the top of his spine and the light weight on his side is clearly indicative of Scott’s arm.  
Scott McCall is spooning him.

No wonder Isaac slept so soundly. He doesn’t want to move. He wants to lie in the sunlight of this beautiful Saturday morning forever. He’s not even completely sure that he and Scott have moved into this position on purpose, but he doesn’t care. For a few moments he can pretend that this is how things are supposed to be.

Tentatively, he places a hand over Scott’s at his side and gently strokes at his fingers. They twitch under his touch and Scott mumbles behind him and burrows his nose at the back of Isaac’s neck. Isaac shivers involuntarily and the movement reminds him of the morning problem he is no doubt sporting. 

He counts to five in his head and gathers up the motivation to turn his head a little to make an attempt at speaking behind him. “Scott,” Isaac says, his voice barely above a whisper. Scott makes an incoherent noise, so Isaac tries again in a sing-song voice, “Wakey wakey…”

Scott mumbles a bit louder and wraps his arm tighter around Isaac’s waist and pulls him closer. Something presses against Isaac’s back and he jolts again. Male morning problems have to be a source for constant embarrassment and awkward moments. No wonder it’s more common for girls to have sleepovers than boys. Isaac fights the urge to press backward into Scott and tries to squirm out of Scott’s grip so that when the shorter boy does wake up, he’s not freaked out by the situation.

The harsh tone of Scott’s cell phone cuts through the silence and Scott bolts up so fast seems to forget that they were sleeping crosswise on the bed and nearly slides off as he makes a grab for his phone. “Oh, shit shit shit, what time is it?”

Isaac, both resentful and thankful for the reprieve, rolls the other way on the bed and pulls some of the blankets into his lap. “I don’t know,” he says, looking around the room for his own phone. 

Scott’s phone stops ringing before he can answer it, so he checks the time. “It’s only nine. I thought it was like noon or something.” He sighs dramatically and falls backward onto the bed, one arm over his eyes. “It’s Saturday, can’t I sleep in a little more?”

He either has no memory of how they’d slept overnight or he’s ignoring it, so Isaac doesn’t press the matter further. He just shrugs and says, “We can always—“ He’s cut off by the sound of Scott’s phone letting him know he has a voicemail and a split second later, Isaac’s phone is vibrating from Scott’s desk across the room.

“What the hell…?” Isaac frowns at Scott and stumbles across the room to grab his own phone before the ringtone ends. It’s Derek. He barely has the call answered and Derek is already talking—or rather, yelling—from the other end.

“—you’d better pick up. I don’t care what kind of shit you two get into when you’re alone but that doesn’t mean—“

“Derek?” Isaac says hastily, trying to cut his alpha off before he says anything that might embarrass everyone in the entire world.

“Finally,” Derek exhales. Isaac can just hear the red eyes in his voice, “Where the hell have you been?”

“With Scott,” Isaac says, confused. “I texted you last night?”

“No, you didn’t,” Derek says, clearly pissed. “I’ve been trying to get a hold of you all night, and don’t give me that ‘my phone was on silent’ bullshit.”

“We were sleeping.”

“Hah,” Derek clearly doesn’t believe him. It’s probably difficult to detect lies and truth over the phone. “Both of you. Preserve. Now.”

The phone makes a click to indicate the call is over and Isaac stares down at his phone. There’s six missed messages and three missed calls. He opens his phone to quickly peruse the messages.

TO: Stiles 11:15pm  
Staying the night with Scott. Be back later.

FROM: Stiles 11:15pm  
LOL u texted the wrong person

FROM: Stiles 11:45pm  
Am I supposed 2 tell Derek?

FROM Derek: 12:30am  
Where are you?

FROM Stiles : 1:45 am  
Srsly u guiz stop making out n just call sourwolf he wont lemme sleep

MISSED CALL FROM: Stiles 2:00 am

FROM Stiles 2:01 am  
Creepy wolf is coming 2 creep on u

MISSED CALL FROM: Derek 4:15 am

FROM Derek 5:30am  
Emergency on preserve. Get your asses here.

MISSED CALL FROM: Peter 8:00am

Isaac looks up at Scott with a confused expression. Scott has just finished going through his texts and his face gets redder and redder with each passing second. Isaac can only imagine what Stiles must have texted Scott about the previous night. He wishes he could sneak a peek at the texts.

What confuses Isaac the most is that Derek knows where Scott lives. He could have easily just scaled the wall to check on them. Derek’s disbelief that the two of them had slept through the night coupled with the fact that Derek’s scent is nowhere in the room leaves Isaac to believe that Derek hadn’t been by at all. Had something stopped him?

And why the hell did Peter call him of all people?

Scott finishes going through his texts and pulls the phone to his ear to listen to the voicemail. Now that Isaac is in the same room as him, he can easily hear the voice from the other line.

“Derek is freaking out, Scott. He thinks something has happened to you two and he’s not listening to me which is nothing new. Just call us back, okay? This is bad.”

Isaac raises his eyebrows at Scott, “You think they’re over-reacting much?”

Scott just shrugs and pockets his phone, “I guess? What the hell happened last night? And why didn’t they just come here and wake us up? Never stopped Derek from being creepy, before.”

Isaac nods along with all of Scott’s questions. He has no idea how to answer him. “Derek says he needs us at the preserve, though.”

“Yeah,” Scott trails off and stretches a bit with a yawn. It’s contagious and Isaac yawns after him. It’s not a tired yawn at all, and more like he’s trying to gather his bearings after their rude awakening. “Maybe it’s just training,” Scott offers but they both know it’s more than that.

They get dressed quickly and tiptoe to the front door. Mrs. McCall made it in sometime that morning because the old family car is sitting in the driveway, so Scott reaches for his keys and without another word, they rush to the car.

Once they are on their way to the Beacon Hills Preserve, Isaac speaks up, “What are you going to tell your mom when she wonders where we went?”

Scott shrugs and looks at the rearview mirror, “I’ll just text her when we get there.”

Isaac nods and swallows hard, staring at his hands in his lap, “I can’t believe we slept through both our phones going off. Mine was on vibrate, but still…” He already had an idea on why he had slept so peacefully. If Scott held Isaac like that every night, he’d never have another nightmare again.

The faint smell of Scott’s blush hits Isaac’s nose and he looks up to see the effects on Scott’s cheeks as the darker werewolf stutters out, “I guess… I guess we were tired?”

“Yeah,” Isaac smiles. “I slept like the dead.”

“So did I,” Scott says, “I haven’t slept that peacefully in a long time… a really long time.” He goes silent for a second and Isaac can’t hide the grin plastered on his face. Scott then realizes what he just said and grips the steering wheel with both hands. “I mean, I don’t know, I just… I was just—“

“It’s okay,” Isaac says, his hands twitching with the desire to reach across and just touch Scott to calm him down, but he doesn’t know if he’s allowed. “I haven’t either. It was nice.”

Scott looks at him and they share a smile and Scott’s grip on the wheel lessens. Isaac gets lost for a second in Scott’s doofy look. He looks star-struck for some reason. His eyes are soft and his shoulders are slumped and Isaac can just look at him like this forever, except—

“Brake!” Isaac shouts.

Scott’s werewolf reflexes come in handy as he slams his foot on the brake just in time. He’s about a foot or so away from rear-ending a hatchback in front of them. They both let out a relieved chuckle and keep their eyes forward for the rest of the ride to the preserve.

The two of them are barely even up the long and leaf-covered driveway to the Hale house when Scott slams the brakes for a second time. Stiles is standing in front of the car waving his hands frantically and saying, “Thankgodthankgodthankgod,” over and over like a mantra.

Both Isaac and Scott climb out of the car, still confused. Stiles is running his hands over his buzz cut nervously, “You’re here. I knew you were fine. Derek is freaking out. Peter’s inside with… well. Just. Yeah.”

Now that Isaac is out of the car, he’s hit with the reality of the situation. Stiles is covered in fear and panic and Derek. The unmistakable stench of blood is in the air as well, mixed with dirt and the saltiness of sweat and tears. There’s another scent… a familiar scent Isaac thought he’d never smell again.

He doesn’t even wait for Stiles to explain or to answer the thousands of questions that are sure to come pouring out of Scott’s mouth. He pushes past the two of them and leaps up onto the porch. When he opens the front door, that familiar scent surrounds him like a blanket and his knees buckle from under him.

“Erica?”

Peter Hale is sitting with his back to the door, towering over a pale and very malnourished Erica. He turns slowly, drawing a finger up to his lips and mimicking the “Shhh” sound without making a noise.

Tears spring to Isaac’s cheeks. He wants to know how Erica got here. What had happened to her? How did she escape? Did Peter find her? Where had Peter been the past few days? Where was Derek? How come no one told him any of this?

He chokes back a sob and doesn’t even notice the footsteps behind him. He knows Scott and Stiles have caught up, and can feel their sadness and the unmistakable hitch in breath as Scott also takes in the scene before him.

Isaac musters the strength to pull himself toward Erica. She’s sleeping. Her face is dirty and she’s just curled up in a ball in the middle of the floor. There’s dirt and dust and ash and rotten wood everywhere and Peter’s not even offering her any kind of comfort. What did he think he was doing? Isaac reaches a hand out to pick up Erica’s fragile face and place it in his lap, but Peter’s reflexes stop him by the wrist. Peter shakes his head.

“Why can’t I touch her?” Isaac whispers, despite Peter telling him to be quiet.

“She’s not the same Erica you knew,” Peter says quietly. Sadly. “She may not remember who you are.”

“She’ll remember me,” Isaac says stubbornly. He directly disobeys Peter’s warning and reaches down for Erica, pulling her thin shoulders up to his chest. She’s still sleeping but it doesn’t take long for her eyes to flutter open. Isaac tries to turn her so that he will be the first thing she sees when she wakes up, but her eyes stare past him. Her big brown eyes used to hold so much life in them but now they’re empty. They glow amber for a second and suddenly she’s at his neck with a surprising amount of strength for someone in her state.

Peter makes a move to take Erica away and Isaac can hear Scott’s strangled shout of “Isaac!” from across the room but he bats both of them out. He lets Erica bite his neck. She sinks her teeth in, drawing blood, but she doesn’t tear at his flesh in anger. There’s a low growl in her throat and gradually the muscle strength in her jaw lessens and she gives a soft shudder.

Isaac knows she’s crying. He can feel the sobs shake through her body and he simply holds her close until she rides through most of them. He wraps his strong arms around her tiny frame and picks her up completely, keeping her off the floor.

“Where is Derek?” He says, surprised at the commanding tone to his voice. He’s angry and frustrated and he has no idea what’s going on, just that Erica is here and she needs help and no one is offering it.

Peter and Stiles both look to the top of the stairs where Derek is watching. “You didn’t think this was important enough to come and get me?” Isaac spits out, his voice strong, but still wavering at the end.

Derek’s expression doesn’t change. “I tried to get a hold of you.”

“I was at Scott’s! You know where he lives!” Isaac is standing, now, still clutching Erica’s still shaking form. “How long has she been here?”

Derek looks to Peter and it’s Peter who answers, “A few hours.”

Scott gasps in realization and Isaac gets it, too. Derek must have been on his way to Scott’s house when he changed direction to either help Peter or come here to watch Erica. Isaac wants so badly to know what happened in those hours. He feels guilty for having the most peaceful sleep of his life when Erica was going through all of this.

He averts his gaze from everyone and looks down at Erica. He’s holding her with one hand under her knees and the other about her shoulders. She doesn’t look like she has any wounds on her, but that’s hard to tell given that she can heal very quickly. She looks like she hasn’t been fed properly in weeks and her fingernails are yellow. Her hair is greasy and matted and she resembles the Erica he’d known before she’d received the bite.

Isaac can’t find his words anymore, but Scott is filled with them, because he seems to ask all the questions Isaac couldn’t get out.

“How did she get here? Was she with the pack? Where are they? Where’s Boyd?” he demands. 

“Peter found her,” Derek says. He sounds ashamed or angry or both. Isaac knows it’s because they had been sitting around devising plans, not caring where Peter was, and for all they knew Peter had been out looking.

“She found me, actually,” Peter corrects. He looks bored and undisturbed by anything. His voice is calm and if anything a little reprimanding. He looks at everyone like they’re stupid. “I don’t think she escaped. I think they let her go, which means they still have the other one. This one is smart. I can’t understand why my nephew would write her off so willingly.”

Derek growls from the top of the stairs, “She ran away.”

“And you let her,” Peter snaps, all but pointing his finger. “An alpha watches out for his pack no matter what. You think you’re letting them make their own mistakes and decisions but you need to know when is a good time for guidance and when is a good time to step back.”

“I can’t believe I’m being lectured by you,” Derek looks his uncle up and down. “You of all people shouldn’t be telling me about guidance. Look how well that turned out for you and your beta.” He nods in indication at Scott, who flinches.

“Can we just stop this bickering, please? Scott and Isaac are here now so can we just go? Like take her to a hospital or something?” Stiles whines from the doorway. Four werewolves shoot him an annoyed glance and he backs off a little, his hands in the air defensively. 

“Stiles has a point,” Scott pushes forward, “Why isn’t she in a hospital already?”

“She’s feral,” Peter explains, “We had to get her to calm down. No one could get through to her. She doesn’t know who I am, and every time Derek tried to get close to her, she screamed. Stiles was the only person who could calm her down, but it was only enough to get her to sleep. She kept trying to bite him.”

Stiles nods, “I’m bite free, though, don’t worry.” Scott looks relieved and pats Stiles on the back a bit. Stiles exhales a bit and rubs at his upper arm, “But we couldn’t leave here. We couldn’t get a hold of you guys. Isaac was probably the only person that could calm her down like this.”

Isaac holds the now sleeping form of Erica close to his chest. His arms aren’t even getting tired from holding her, that’s how light she is. He takes a cautionary step toward the door. Everyone’s eyes are on Erica but she doesn’t stir.

He doesn’t know what to think. The alpha pack just let her go? That confirms that they even had her, but it still doesn’t sit right with Isaac. What about Boyd? He can only hope that when Erica wakes up, she’ll explain everything—but he doesn’t know how far gone she is, or if she can even talk. He’s still upset that Derek didn’t try harder to get a hold of him and Scott—but he’s mostly upset with himself that he didn’t take his phone off vibrate. He had no way of knowing something like this would happen. He’d been so caught up in his happiness with Scott that he didn’t realize the world was exploding just beyond his grasp. He has to fix this. It is up to him to fix all of it.

“I’m taking her back to Happy Meadows,” Isaac announces. “Scott, will you drive?”

“Yeah, buddy. No problem,” Scott says immediately, pulling his keys from the belt loop of his jeans. 

Isaac takes Erica out to the front porch, and he can feel the tension build up behind him as he leaves. The rage both Peter and Derek emit at each other is thick enough to eat with a spoon. He can just hear Peter say, “She came to me, not you. She doesn’t even know me, so what does that say about your position? You’re not fit to be alpha. I am. I always was.”

Isaac doesn’t want to hear the rest. He doesn’t really care. As far as he’s concerned, Scott is the only alpha he’d rather have in his life. Both Derek and Peter can fight it out forever. Besides, Isaac has more pressing matters to attend to—specifically the one he’s holding close to his chest.

With Scott’s help, they get Erica settled into the backseat. She doesn’t wake. The bite she gave Isaac a few minutes ago is already healed completely, but Isaac’s shirt is stained with his blood and Erica still has a bit of red on her chin. It’s a stark contrast to the rest of her pale face. It’s the only color Isaac can see and it scares him.

“You coming with us?” Scott says to Stiles. He looks nervously at the Hale house. Isaac is half expecting Peter and Derek to explode out of the side of the house in full werewolf form.

Stiles looks from the house to the car and Isaac knows he’s weighing his options. Stay in a burnt down house with two pissed off werewolves or get into the backseat with a very hungry werewolf that wants to snack on his neck. Isaac wishes there was a third option for him. “I’ll go with you guys,” Stiles says after a second. He holds up his keys. “I drove here at ass o clock in the morning because Derek wouldn’t leave my phone alone. I’ll be right behind you, okay?”

“Okay,” Scott nods in approval and climbs into the car. Isaac hesitates for a second and then finally gets into the backseat with Erica as opposed to sitting shotgun. If Erica wakes up in the car, he doesn’t want her to flip out. He hopes his scent will calm her down.

The drive to Happy Meadows is short, or so it seems to Isaac. He spends most of the time stroking Erica’s hair softly and trying to de-tangle it. Scott is kind enough to give them some privacy by keeping his eyes on the road.

Once they get to the townhome, Isaac wastes no time in getting Erica inside and on the couch. He doesn’t even have to say anything else because moments later, Scott is by his side with a Tupperware bowl of warm water and a washcloth. He no doubt picked up a few things with his mother being a nurse and all.

Together they wipe off as much of the dirt and grime as possible and then cover Erica with a warm comforter. Isaac wants to give her something to eat, but Scott says to wait until she wakes up. They don’t want to give her a system a shock with the unexpected task of digestion. Isaac has a fleeting thought that maybe Scott is learning something his textbooks after all.

Isaac nods and sits on the floor with his back to the couch. His head swarms with the steady emotional shifts he’s had to go through today. It’s exhausting. While Isaac is happy to have Erica back in his sights again, it’s a little too much to handle. He knows he’s missed her, but he doesn’t expect all his emotions to come at him at once. What did they do to her? What were they still doing to Boyd? Isaac is shaking and he doesn’t even realize.

Scott sits beside him. Isaac is too tall for Scott to put his arms around his shoulders properly, so Scott settles for just leaning against his shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay. She’s safe now and that’s what matters, right?”

Isaac looks at Scott. His eyes are so naïve and hopeful. Isaac knows that Scott and Erica aren’t the closest of people, but with the amount of times Scott has saved them in the past, he knows that the other werewolf doesn’t think Erica is just someone to be written off. After all, he’s her alpha too, now. “She doesn’t look good, Scott,” Isaac mutters.

Scott pauses for a moment but then holds his hand out in such a way that it just seems normal for Isaac to take it, so he does. He gives Isaac’s hand a squeeze and says, “We’re going to do everything we can to get her back to normal. I promise.”

Isaac believes him. Even if he had no way of knowing Scott was telling the truth, he would believe him. “Thank you,” he says.

Scott doesn’t let go of Isaac’s hand and Isaac is thankful for that. Scott does settle in to Isaac’s side, though, making himself comfortable. “You two were pretty close, huh?” There’s an edge to his voice that indicates maybe he thinks there was something more.

“We came from the same place,” Isaac says, letting his thumb absently move against Scott’s. He doesn’t realize he’s doing it; just that he likes the feeling. “We both had to live with our pain, until Derek took that pain away from us. We may not have agreed with his methods entirely but… we had each other. And Boyd. She’s not like a sister… she’s a packmate. It’s something that goes beyond just a bond. I would do anything for her.”

“I see,” Scott says. He falls into a silence. Isaac wishes he could climb inside Scott’s head just to see what he’s thinking, but then Scott starts up again, “I’ve only ever had Allison and Stiles, and they’re human. To be in a pack with other wolves—it’s… different. Feelings between packmates. Are they always this… intense?”

Isaac’s eyes shift to Scott’s and he doesn’t hide the look of confusion he is wearing. “Intense?”

“Well, yeah, I mean,” And now Scott is blushing and Isaac doesn’t think it’s fair. He wants to be concerned with the fragile girl lying on the couch just behind him, but Scott has to go and be adorable and throw his focus out of whack. “This overprotective feeling, right? Everyone has it.”

“I guess so,” Isaac shrugs. He is slightly disappointed that Scott’s intense feeling isn’t the one he’d hoped it would be. “Are you overprotective of me?”

Scott tries not to smile, Isaac can tell by the way his mouth is twitches and he’s biting the inside of his cheeks to keep it down. He smells nervous. “Well, yeah, you’re my friend. I was overprotective before we were packmates.”

Isaac settles down a little. His body stops shaking. “I’m overprotective of you too, you know.” His hand is still holding Scott’s, but now Scott has mimicked Isaac’s habit of rubbing their thumbs together. Now they’re just swirling their thumbs around each other. Isaac’s eyes flick down to watch them for a bit.

“Isaac?” Scott begins. “There’s something I want to ta—“

“Isaac?”

Scott’s words are interrupted by a smaller female tone behind them. Both boys spin around to see the big brown eyes of Erica peering at them questioningly. 

“Erica, you’re awake!” Isaac stumbles over himself and drops Scott’s hand in favor of picking up one of Erica’s.

She gives him a weak smile and her eyes flit back and forth between Isaac’s and Scott’s before she says, “What’s goody two shoes doing here? And why do you two smell so disgustingly sweet?”

Isaac chokes on the air.

*

“Slow down. Your stomach will explode or something.” 

“This is amazing,” Erica says between shoveling bites into her mouth, “And I don’t even like oatmeal.”

Isaac, Erica and Scott are all sitting at the kitchen table, still in the Happy Meadows townhome. After Erica proved that she knew who she was and who she was with and that she was not, in fact, feral, Isaac and Scott worked together to prep her for rehabilitation. Rehab mostly consisted of letting her borrow their shoulders while she staggered into the kitchen and made herself a bowl of oatmeal because she refused to let anyone pamper her.

Neither teen plucks up the courage to ask her what kind of ordeal she’s been through. Isaac automatically assumes it will trigger an episode with her and he likes seeing her act, for the most part, like her old self. She still looks broken and forgotten, but if Isaac closes his eyes, he can pretend she just came back from a very bad vacation.

So Isaac mostly watches her eat. She finishes one bowl and asks for another, but they tell her to wait a few more minutes. Frustrated, Erica tries to give them her best pout. Without her makeup and her hair done in perfect curls, it actually has a much better effect on Isaac than he’d like to admit. Scott, however, doesn’t share the same type of bond Isaac has with Erica so he openly refuses her pout.

“I don’t need to take orders from you, anyway,” Erica retorts, and shifts her attention to Isaac. Isaac looks away, knowing that if he so much as makes eye contact with her, she will try to sell him a box of soaked matches and he’ll give in. “Oh come on,” she pleads. “I’m so hungry. If my stomach explodes, I’ll just heal, okay?”

Isaac whimpers a little and looks to Scott for help, “She has a point?” he says sheepishly. He feels terrible. He hates denying Erica anything—especially like this.

“No,” Scott puts his metaphorical foot down. “I’m not risking it.”

“Seriously,” Erica mutters, trying to bend her spoon with her thumb but her strength hasn’t come back completely, yet, so she looks like she’s scowling at her reflection in the utensil. “Who died and made you alpha?”

Both Isaac and Scott snort a little, and Isaac is glad he’s not the only one who found that a little funny. “No one,” he says, still grinning. “He’s like a co-alpha.” Like being co-captain of the lacrosse team with Jackson. Funny how that all comes full circle.

“Co-alpha?” Erica gives Scott a look that needs no definition. “That’s stupid.”

“But it works,” Scott volunteers with a little shrug. “At least I think it does. Some alpha I am. I didn’t even save you.”

“And you won’t let me eat more when I’m clearly starving,” Erica points out. “You’re a terrible alpha.”

“I think he’s a terrific alpha,” Isaac points out. He says it without thinking and knows his tone sounded a little too like he was Scott’s biggest fan. He wishes he had a bowl of oatmeal to hide behind.

Scott doesn’t seem to mind because he’s practically glowing, as opposed to feeling down about Erica’s comment, “Thank you, Isaac.”

Erica groans, “Oh great. I leave you two alone for two months and now you’re B.F.F.’s?”

Instead of feeling embarrassed about it, Isaac shares a knowing smile with Scott. He doesn’t want to think too much about their growing relationship. He knows that if he thinks about it too much, he’ll wind up sabotaging it by over-thinking and he’d much rather let everything come to him naturally. Disrupting the order of things never goes well for anyone. For some people that’s a hard lesson to learn. Isaac isn’t going to name any names. Gerard.

Erica rolls her eyes and pushes her bowl at Scott, “It’s been three seconds; can I have more barf in a bowl, please?”

Scott nods in her direction and his eyes are crinkling at the corners again so Isaac knows that the smile he’s getting is genuine. Erica gives the two of them a frustrated sigh and gets up to make her own oatmeal. The action snaps Isaac out of his reverie and he moves quickly to help her. She hesitates on the assistance at first, but Isaac insists. He can’t help it if it’s hard for him to function properly when Scott is in the same room as him. It takes everything Isaac has not to keep glancing back as he prepares Erica’s meal.

She eats agonizingly slowly for her second bowl. Isaac can only assume it’s because she can feel the effects of the food and wants to savor it. He’s not completely sure on what happens when someone reaches this level of weakness. If anything, Erica is pulling through just as strong as she’s always been. There is no doubt in Isaac’s mind that Erica has gone through so much in her life that this is just another hurdle she needs to jump over. He admires her for that, because can understand that struggle.

With each bite, she doesn’t falter. Her hands don’t shake. It’s hard to imagine that only hours before she’d been a sobbing mess in his arms. The bite she’d given him has completely healed over, now. Her strength, willpower and survival instinct are top notch.

Isaac is the one to finally speak up after such a realization. If Erica is as strong as he thinks she is, he doesn’t have to worry about stepping into any unsafe territory. “What exactly happened?”

Erica looks up at him through light eyelashes. Her eyes look so different without her eyeliner. She finishes her bite of oatmeal and gives Isaac a serious stare. “They didn’t kidnap us or capture us or anything, if that’s what you’re asking. We went with them. It was supposed to be safer with another pack. The Argents want us dead, haven’t you forgotten?”

“Everyone wants us dead,” Isaac mutters.

Scott makes a strangled noise as he lets his mouth bob open and shut, “The Argents just… they’re not a threat to us right now. Anymore, I mean. Now that Gerard is gone Allison isn’t that person anymore.”

Erica’s eyes widen at Scott as she basically laughs but the tone isn’t pleasing at all, “Did Allison go all psycho bitch on you guys, too? That’s comical.” 

Scott looks hurt and even though Isaac still feels it’s for all the wrong reasons, he tries to understand it from Scott’s point of view. From what he’s gathered, Scott fell in love with Allison before he knew her family’s past. It’s hard to change something like that. Isaac is so lost in trying to figure out Scott that he nearly misses something Erica said. “Wait, too? What do you mean? What did she do to you?”

Erica hesitates and her tone goes from cocky and irritated to genuinely sad, “You really have no idea? Stiles didn’t tell you anything?”

“Stiles? What? No…” Scott answers, confused. “What are you talking about?”

“That she-devil nearly killed us. If it weren’t for her Big Chin Dad, she might have finished the job. She shot so many arrows at Boyd—“ Erica’s voice cuts off for a second as she forces her eyes to the ceiling. They’re shimmering. Isaac knows that look. He’s had that look several times himself. She’s trying to be strong, again. “It was her fault we were captured. Those hunters tortured us and her dad let us go for whatever reason. We were running from her when the alpha pack found us. They were supposed to be hospitable.”

Scott looks like someone punched him in the eye. He can’t look at Erica and almost like it’s a default, he can’t look at Isaac, either. His hands are balled into fists. It has to be hard defending Allison all the time to a group of people she’d tried to kill. Although, really, she’d apologized to Isaac, but the fact that she’d also given him an uncomfortable quest may or may not have cancelled that point out. “I didn’t know she did that,” he says finally, swallowing hard. Isaac wants to reach out to Scott, again. He looks like he’s reverted back to that sad Scott, so unsure of what to do next.

Isaac switches the topic of Allison quickly, to another pressing question, “What does that have to do with Stiles?”

Erica is digging craters into her bowl of oatmeal as she heaves a great sigh, “Stiles saw us in the Argent’s basement. That crazy old asshole beat him black and blue and set him free for some psychological game.” She pauses and gives Scott an odd look, “Must not have worked if you didn’t even know about it.”

Scott sinks further and further back with every blow Erica is giving him. “I’ll just have to ask Stiles, myself,” he says at length.

“…where is he, anyway?” Isaac says suddenly and with realization. Stiles was supposed to be right behind them in his Jeep, but now that Isaac thinks about it, he doesn’t remember seeing those bright round headlights behind them one the way to Happy Meadows. “He didn’t follow us home?”

“He must have gotten held up,” Scott frowns, giving him the benefit of the doubt. “I could text him? Or we’ll just wait for him and—“

Erica slumps in her oatmeal and it causes Scott to stop talking and put his focus back on her. Isaac follows suit, one arm immediately moving to wrap around her bony shoulders. “Hey,” he urges, nudging her a little. “You okay?”

She shakes her head slowly and Isaac can’t believe he couldn’t see just how much she had been trying to hold herself together this entire time. Every time she fought back tears it was like placing another straw on the camel’s back. “Erica?” he asks again.

“It’s Boyd,” she says after a little while. “He’s still there. The alphas… they said something about a test. They were all about building a strong pack and weeding out the weak. They fed us enough to keep us alive, but unable to escape. Boyd, he… he gave me his food. His food, Isaac.” Erica looks up at Isaac with her large brown eyes just pleading with him for something he’s not sure he can give her. “He had it so much worse…. And I just... I heard them talking about a new alpha. An alpha that was an omega by choice. That was probably Scott… but after that they just let me go. I don’t know why they did it. Why did they let me go and not Boyd? What if they’re killing him?”

It’s like she’s unsure of what to feel. Isaac can see just how much she cares for their missing pack mate, but he can also see that it’s a newer feeling. She doesn’t know what to do with the bond that she has and now that she’s been separated from Boyd she’s lost. The way she’s clinging to Isaac and the way her eyes look as though the light has gone out of them both signify an important loss. Boyd was her only pack for so long…

Isaac glances up at Scott. He doesn’t want to imagine what it would be like if he and Scott traded places with Erica and Boyd. It’s too horrible to think about. He feels like Erica is stronger than he is when it comes to emotions and if she’s crumbling around him, he’s not sure he wants to know what kind of state he would be in.

“It’s okay,” Isaac says finally, “We’ll find Boyd. We’ll get him back and we’ll figure out a way to get back at those alphas. We will make them pay for what they did to you.” Scott nods in approval.

Erica sniffs a bit, even though she hasn’t completely teared up, yet. “That’s the problem. I don’t know where they are. I didn’t just walk out of there, you know. They dropped me off.”

Something in Isaac’s mind clicks and his stomach drops to the floor. “You didn’t see where they went, did you?”

“No, I had a sack over my head and my hands were bound. They loosened my ties and drove away. By the time I clawed the sack away, they were gone,” Erica explains.

“Where did you go from there?”

“I… wanted to go home. I thought maybe the Hale house? Peter found me on my way there. I didn’t know who he was. I tried to fight him, but I collapsed and everything was a blur of nightmares after that,” Erica says with a frown. She recites her story with a sort of forgotten quality—as if she weren’t recalling a memory but perhaps a movie she saw once a decade ago. She squints her eyes to bring up details.

Isaac’s heart is going into overdrive, and he can’t stop the fear that accompanies the sudden rush of blood in his veins. “Think about it. They wouldn’t just leave you like this. They were nearby. They were watching.”

“What?” Erica looks confused, “That’s bullshit. I couldn’t smell their dank odor.”

“You were weakened, though, and maybe they put something in that sack on your head,” Scott offers. Isaac can tell he is also aware of the realization that is plaguing Isaac’s thoughts.

Erica gets it too. “They were following me?”

“They know where we are,” Isaac confirms.

Scott stands up and looks to the front door. His voice is a harsh whisper. “Then why aren’t they here?”

Isaac only shrugs. He has no idea. There still isn’t a clear reason as to why the alpha pack found it necessary to hold Erica and Boyd by force like this. What’s the point to all of this waiting and testing and fear? Surely there are less complicated and painful ways to measure pack strength… like family game night or charades.

All three teenage werewolves exchange frightened glances for a moment or two as they let the newly realized information sink in.

Seconds later there is loud pounding on the front door.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I wrote myself into a corner with the accidental plot... I had to make up all kinds of alpha pack stuff and I just hate doing that when we have so little to use. This chapter speeds through that so we can get to what you're all /really/ here for: Scisaac.

Chapter Six

 

Three noses rise into the air as soon as the shock wears off. Isaac recognizes the scent immediately and calms down enough to open the door to reveal a very pissed off Jackson.

“What’re you do---“ before Isaac can even get the question out, Jackson throws his phone up like a badge and shoves past him. Isaac deflates.

“Derek told me to come here,” he mumbles, stepping into the living room. He takes a look around at the bare walls and cheap furniture and gives a little snort. Isaac has never been inside Jackson’s house, but he knows it has to look amazing and modern. The townhome definitely looks as though three bachelors live there. Nothing matches. There are no pictures on the walls. They’re using a brown milk crate as an end table. “So where is he?”

Scott arrives in the living room a second later. He physically tries to puff himself up, probably to look larger. Isaac hides a grin. Scott is short and compared to Jackson, anyone who didn’t know them would think that Jackson would have the upper hand. “Derek isn’t here, yet.”

Jackson scowls and flips through his phone for a second, “Whatever. I’m calling Lydia. If I have to sit through this crap, then so can she.”

Before Isaac can stop him, Jackson has his phone to his ear and is walking into the kitchen to talk to Lydia. Erica shifts her chair a little to keep her distance from the newest pack member. Isaac will have to explain everything Jackson related to her, later. Right now, he’s mostly concerned about the fact that he has no idea where Stiles, Peter and Derek are. 

He steps outside for a moment to strain his ears for any clues. Derek will howl if something goes wrong. He’ll alert the other members of his pack that the alphas are cornering them at the Hale house. At least Isaac hopes he will.

The scent of fresh linen clouds Isaac senses and he glances behind him to see that Scott has joined him on the doorstep. He pulls his eyes away. The look on Scott’s face makes Isaac’s heart twist into knots.

“They’re on their way,” he says reassuringly.

Isaac raises an eyebrow, doubtful. “How do you know?”

Scott shrugs, “I just do. I don’t know.”

Isaac’s mouth is set in a firm line and he looks back out over the parking lot, “I wonder why they’re biding their time. Maybe they’re waiting for us all to gather together before they make a move.” Scott is close beside him. Very close. Isaac doesn’t know what to do with himself so he shoves his hands into the pockets of his jeans and hunches his shoulders. He can feel Scott’s arm bump his, but he continues in a shaking voice, “We should gather here. The lights in the parking lot... the closeness of other humans… the pack won’t try and start a fight here. We’re too exposed. It’s like we’re hiding in the plain site. If we go back to the preserve, they might start a fight.” It’s so hard to think about the present situation when Scott is standing beside him, radiating beauty and concern.

“I’m sure they’ve thought of that, too,” Scott keeps pressing himself against Isaac like he’s testing something. Isaac stops fighting it and leans against him. Scott smiles. Isaac wants to die. “They will be here.”

“Yeah…” 

“Come inside. We can’t leave Jackson and Erica alone,” Scott says, looking behind him at the front door. Isaac doesn’t want shared company. He wants to stay out here with Scott, but he knows he has to squash down his feelings and act like a team player.

Just as they turn around, there’s a blast of music and a familiar Jeep pulls into the parking lot. Derek is driving. Stiles is sulking. A few seconds later, Peter pulls up in the Camaro.

Isaac is stunned. No one drives the Camaro but Derek. After Isaac sees the looks on all three of their faces he decides that maybe he doesn’t want to know what happened.

*

Having almost the entire pack in the townhome is disconcerting. The only person they’re missing is Boyd, and Isaac has a feeling they may even see him very soon.

The “pack meeting” is brief. It mostly consists of everyone shouting at each other and storming off into different directions.

Peter tries to make it clear that he was the one to find Erica and therefore he’s the only one trying. Isaac points out that he convinced Jackson to join the pack and therefore made them stronger. Jackson helpfully adds that he can change his mind at any point and that everyone is a douchebag. Scott tries valiantly to hold the peace, but gives up after he realizes no one is listening. Derek glowers. Stiles stutters and Erica sits at the table with her head in her hands and silently screams.

All in all, it is a very productive meeting.

When the doorbell rings, everyone freezes. After a moment, they realize it must be Lydia and Jackson stands up to get to the door first, but Peter beats him to it.

Isaac can’t see what’s going on in the foyer, but most of the conversation is geared toward keeping Lydia together. For whatever reason she doesn’t like Peter. Peter somehow knows this and is egging on the poor girl and Jackson makes it a point to try and claw out Peter’s throat.

Derek is the first alpha to reach the situation and he pulls his uncle off the lacrosse player, scowling as usual. Scott holds his hands up and howls. Loudly.

Scott’s warning howl seems to work because everyone stops what they’re doing and looks toward him. He’s standing in the short hallway between the foyer, the living room, and the kitchen and is completely wolfed out.

Isaac actually finds Scott’s wolf just as attractive as Scott’s human side. His inner wolf complements his features entirely and even the sideburns look good on him. He wants to run his hands along the contorted facial features just to see what they feel like under the pads of his fingers.

“If we’re going to be a pack, we have to act like one!” Scott shouts, effectively filling the silence and pulling Isaac’s thoughts away from dangerous territory. The younger alpha looks around at the tattered remains of the pack and looks genuinely hurt. “We’re going to stay here and hold down the fort. We’ll wait for them to come to us. When they get here, there will be no fighting—not between us and them and definitely not between ourselves. We’re a team, and we’ll show them a united force, okay? If they want to test our pack then fine. We’ve got enough finals to worry about this week, what’s one more right?”

Leave it to Scott to link the supernatural world to the high school world.

Silence hangs over the pack. It’s so thick that when Stiles makes an uncomfortable gulping noise, Isaac is pretty sure even Lydia can hear it.

In fact, it’s Lydia who breaks the spell. If there’s one thing Isaac has learned about the strawberry blond, it’s the fact that she can make even the strangest of subjects seem absolutely normal. “If we’re all going to be stuck together for a few hours, which I thought might be the case when Jackson called. I brought some movies.” She looks like she’s putting on a brave face and at the moment Isaac is thankful for her quick thinking.

Jackson groans, “You didn’t bring The Notebook, did you?” Lydia glares at him.

“Movies are a great idea,” Scott interjects. He breaks the movement embargo by going to the TV and getting everything started up. The change in attitude must have been enough to get him to shift back to human. Lydia follows him with the movie.

In the end, everyone manages to find a place to sit. Isaac makes every move possible to try and sit next to Scott and winds up getting to share an armchair. He may have had to fight Stiles for it and coax Scott into sitting down by patting the small space beside him, but it’s worth it. Lydia, Erica and Jackson have the couch and Derek and Stiles end up on the floor. Peter stands back, watching from the foyer so he can have one eye out the window by the door for the alpha pack. 

Isaac doesn’t even pay attention to the movie. He watches Scott breathe. He tries to make discreet movements toward Scott’s hand, hoping he can get to a point where they touch and Scott won’t realize. He’s probably leaking all kinds of emotions out into the room, but in his defense, everyone else is so wired that they’re probably hidden in the mix. Isaac tries desperately to sniff something from Scott—any hint that he’s just as tingly about their closeness, but Scott’s scent is masked as well and his eyes are glued to the screen.

At one point, Isaac glances at the movie to see which scene they’re on and his entire body heats up. He knows it’s because he can feel Scott’s eyes on him. Of course, Scott would only look at him once he’s looked away so Isaac quickly turns back to catch those caramel eyes with his own. Once he’s captured them, he knows Scott can’t pull away. Everyone else in the room evaporates for a long moment while Isaac makes an attempt at communicating with Scott on a telepathic level. They’ve come so close to the edge of… something, Isaac doesn’t know what. It’s been there so many times and he doesn’t want any sort of interruption. 

Except an interruption is what he gets. Again.

There’s a sniffle coming from the couch.

Isaac recognizes the owner and tears his eyes away from Scott’s to see Erica with her hand over her mouth and nose. Her eyes are red and puffy like she’s either just cried or is trying not to.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why she’s upset. Jackson has his arm around Lydia on the couch and she’s curled up in his embrace like she’s belonged there her entire life. Derek and Stiles have managed to entangle their ankles together on the floor in some kind of strange game of footsie. And, of course, there’s Isaac and Scott scrunched up together on the couch. The entire room reeks of pheromones.

All at once, everyone seems to pull away from each other. Erica looks guilty, but angry at the same time. Jackson uses the moment to turn off the DVD and looks happy about it.

Lydia turns away from Jackson and places a well manicured hand on Erica’s knee. “Hey,” she says brightly. “Let’s go get you cleaned up and beautiful, okay? I think I have a shade of lipstick that will go perfect with your eyes.”

Erica makes a strangled noise from behind her hand that sounds like a sob and she just nods. Lydia stands up and tugs Erica up with her and tastefully adds, “On second thought, let’s get you showered and cleaned up. We’ll do a complete makeover. It’ll be fun!”

Isaac knows what Lydia is doing and his heart goes out to her. He watches the two girls ascend the stairs slowly, with Erica clutching Lydia like she’s her savior. Lydia knows how to put up a face. She knows when to look brave and when to break down. And, now that Isaac thinks about it, so does Erica. Erica needs that guidance from Lydia right now to keep her going until everything is over.

Jackson doesn’t like the loss of his girlfriend, though and stands up, his jaw set. “I don’t know about you guys but I want to do something, not just sit around. Can’t we train or… something?”

Derek pulls himself up to a standing position. “No,” he says sternly. Isaac realizes vaguely that Derek probably needs to make himself look taller to gain dominance. A better alpha should be able to bark commands from their position on the floor. “Hold your energy for later.”

Jackson looks murderous. “If you’re never going to use me to my potential,” he spits, “what’s the point in having me?”

Derek’s eyes flash red, but Jackson doesn’t back off. He doesn’t even look scared. 

Peter speaks up from behind them, still standing at his place by the door. “I can’t just stand around and no nothing either. We’re sparring, c’mon.” 

Isaac raises an eyebrow. Only moments ago the two of them were fighting about Lydia. Now they want to train? Although in retrospect, they probably wanted to use the guise of training to hide the fact that they really wanted to just spar and test one another’s abilities. 

Before Derek can even respond, Jackson grunts in approval and he and Peter leave.

Derek growls loudly, “How can I be their alpha when they won’t submit!” he yells at the ceiling and storms up the stairs, leaving Stiles and Isaac and Scott to exchange very confused glances with each other.

“Should I go talk to him?” Scott asks, looking from Isaac to Stiles. 

Stiles shakes his head, “Nah, let him brood for a little bit. He’ll try to snap your neck or something right now. Let’s just… I don’t know, find a way to pass the time. And not by watching The Notebook.”

Isaac and Scott agree. 

At some point Stiles thought it would be a good idea to have some board games in the house. He’d apparently brought them all from his home. The Sheriff was never around to play these kinds of games anymore and seeing as the townhome was the place to be, the games gravitated there.

Between the three of them, they blasted through various board games. It didn’t help much when Scott and Isaac banded together in each game. They shared extra clues with each other in Clue, and they constantly booted all of Stiles pawns back to the home base in Sorry!. Scott and Isaac refused to make each other pay outrageous sums of money to each other when they landed on each other’s properties in Monopoly. The final straw was apparently in the Game of Life when Isaac landed on a square indicating he was going to add a baby boy to his car and he was going to name it Scott.

“Argh!” Stiles shouts, holding his head in his hands. “I’m done. You guys are ridiculous.”

“What?” Isaac asks incredulously, “He’s my best friend. Of course I’ll name my kid after him.”

“Yeah,” Stiles rolls his eyes, “Right. I think you guys have beaten me in enough games that I’m going to go brood with Derek.”

“But we haven’t finished, yet!” Scott protests. “I want to get to go to college again because I have a crappy career. We can’t just leave it like this. I have to live in the giant mansion!”

“I’m not stopping you two from continuing,” Stiles says, standing up. “I got into a car accident and died and I left everything in my will to Bruce Wayne.” He waves as he heads for the stairs. He stops at the foot and glances over at them and shakes his head before going up.

Isaac raises both his eyebrows at the retreating Stiles and then back at Scott. “You want to keep playing?”

Scott looks at the game board with dejection. “I don’t know. It’s just not the same with only two people.”

Isaac looks at the pile of games they have yet to play. “Jenga?”

“Again, with two people there’s not much point.” Scott sounds and smells agitated. Isaac has no idea how to fix it or why he’s feeling like that. He’s too unprepared to bring up anything, especially with so many werewolves in the house.

“Guess Who?”

Scott shrugs, “I guess.” Isaac is glad they’re alone, but he doesn’t know what to do with the time they’ve been given, so he just grabs the Guess Who game and sets it up. There are a million things he’d rather be doing with Scott at that moment, and asking him questions about hair color and glasses is not one of them.

They’re almost through with their game when Peter and Jackson come in, sweating. Wordlessly, they head to the kitchen for something to drink and Isaac can’t help but notice that any animosity between them has dissipated. If anything, they’ve managed to resolve their differences in their own way. It’s confusing and sudden and strange but still amazing.

Lydia and Erica descend shortly afterward. Erica looks radiant and very much like the Erica Isaac missed. Although, despite the heavy amount of foundation Lydia put on her, she still looks a little pale. It’s probably because Isaac is looking for it, though. Lydia has done a number on her that brings out the brown in her eyes even more. Isaac smiles at Erica—genuinely smiles, because she can look so beautiful in spite of everything she’s been through. The confidence boost and girl time has helped her regain some strength. Werewolf healing powers really do work wonders when given the right signal boost. As a human, she would take a week or so to recover like she has.

Erica notices the board games and makes them drag out Monopoly again, but this time everyone plays except Peter who volunteers again to take watch. Isaac suspects the older man doesn’t want to be caught up in the workings of a game of Monopoly with five teenagers. Isaac really doesn’t blame him.

The game is much more fun this time around and mostly because Lydia is banker and Isaac doesn’t have to worry about counting money.

As the game escalates, so does the volume in the living room. Halfway through the game Stiles and Derek come downstairs to watch before reconvening into the kitchen to make dinner. Soon the spicy aroma of home-made salsa fills the air and everyone’s stomachs growl.   
Jackson ends up winning the game, and even though Isaac suspects purposeful bank errors on Lydia’s part he doesn’t say anything. It doesn’t really matter. What matters is that everyone is in a good mood, finally, and that the entire house smells like whatever it is that Stiles and Derek are making for dinner.

Stiles announces that food is ready and there’s a mad shuffle for the kitchen. Various plates and bowls of food are set out for everyone to make their own tacos. Fingers, arms and shoulders bump together as everyone grabs their food and prepares their tortillas. Since the table is covered in the ingredients for dinner, the pack reconvenes in the living room and puts on Fight Club to run in the background as they eat. No one argues over the movie.

The sun eventually sets. The brief respite of happiness is waning as constant worry over the alpha pack increases. Every second that ticks by is one second closer to when the alphas will inevitably show up and no one knows what to expect.

It is suggested briefly that everyone gather blankets and pillows and sleep in the living room, but the notion is shot down by Derek saying that he won’t be bothered with the mess. The townhome is small enough that everyone can spread out and sleep comfortably. Isaac figures that if they’re going to be like wolves, they should all sleep together, but he’s not sure where the similarities begin and end, so he doesn’t refute it.

Erica is the first to fall asleep. Peter offers to take her to his room and let her sleep in his bed. He’ll stand guard for a while. Jackson and Lydia stay in the living room and Isaac, Scott, Derek and Stiles all trudge upstairs to the remaining two rooms.

Once in Isaac’s room, Scott makes quick work of his shoes and shirt which is completely unfair. Isaac has to spin around quickly and finds himself staring intensely at a wall.

“Dude,” Scott says as if his newly honed muscles weren’t the object of several of Isaac’s fantasies. “I’m staying in here, right?”

Isaac laughs, but it’s not forced. He’s more relieved than anything so the laugh comes out as a little puff of air, “I hope so.” Ah, crap. Isaac freezes and quickly clarifies. “I mean, unless you want to sleep downstairs with Jackson?”

“No…” Scott lets the ‘o’ sound draw out for a while. “Here’s good.”

If Isaac had an inner version of himself, it would be jumping around the room and high-fiving other versions of himself. But Isaac doesn’t have any of those things so he settles for smiling stupidly, all teeth and a slight hitch of his breath.

He doesn’t want to look too weird for practically glowing. Scott’s already sharing the stupid grin. Isaac also knows he’s seeping happiness from his pores because Scott is too. This is weird. Everything is weird. Two people shouldn’t be this happy about sleeping together especially when both parties aren’t even in a relationship—no matter how much one party wants there to be one.

Except… the bed. The bed is so small. It’s not Scott’s slightly larger double. Isaac also doesn’t want to look like an asshole and take the bed and Scott feels like he needs to take the floor. So Isaac does the only logical thing: he starts to remove a pillow from the head of the mattress and toss it to the floor. 

Scott gives him a confused look. “What are you doing?”

“I’m sleeping on the floor,” Isaac says, just as confused. “The bed is kind of small isn’t it? You take it. You’re the guest.”

“It’s your house. You take the bed,” Scott assures him.

“I can’t do that,” Isaac rebuttals. “It’s just not right.”

“OH MY GOD,” a voice says from the doorway. Both Isaac and Scott turn around to see Stiles with a toothbrush in his mouth. Why Stiles has a toothbrush here at the townhome, Isaac has no idea. He probably packed one. “Just sleep in the bed already. No one cares.”

Isaac and Scott continue to stare at Stiles like he’s suggested they start the apocalypse. Stiles simply stares back at them.

After a few seconds, Stiles turns and calls into Derek’s room. “Can I sleep in your room please? I don’t wanna sleep in here with them! I swear to god I’ll probably throw up in the middle of the night.”

Derek grunts from somewhere in the depths of his room. “Whatever. Just get in here Stiles.”

Stiles actually does a little fist pump—something Isaac is too embarrassed to do, himself, and gives both Scott and Isaac a small salute. “Good night. Remember, everyone is a werewolf and can hear everything you do,” he warns before practically skipping into Derek’s room.

Isaac looks to Scott hoping the shorter boy has some answers considering he’s known Stiles a hell of a lot longer, but Scott looks just as taken aback. Isaac frowns. “What is he talking about?”

Scott’s face turns a very amusing shade of pink and he scrambles into the bed. “It’s nothing. Nothing at all. I promise. Let’s just go to sleep, okay? We both slept in my bed last night and we didn’t die so…”

Isaac stands in the middle of the room, still fully clothed and just watches the uncertainty coil around Scott. It doesn’t take him too long but he finally sees it. He finally scents it.

Maybe it had been there the entire time and Isaac was too far in denial to realize it. Scott has a handful of scents rolling off him now, and all of them are so pleasing to Isaac’s senses, he knows he’s not wrong about them.

For one, Scott is embarrassed, probably at Stiles for pointing out something that should have been a secret. For another, there’s attraction and a hint of arousal and Isaac knows that Scott only has a brotherly relationship with Stiles. He’s already been down that path. That only left one person seeing as Derek was in the other room: Isaac.

There’s a million puzzle pieces that don’t seem to fit, though. What about Allison? What about the bra? And the Playboy? And everything? Scott even said so himself that he was still in love with her.

Isaac tries to think back on everything Scott has said in the past few days that could make this realization any clearer. After all, the two of them have been opening up more. There were a few moments when Isaac even thought something could happen between them… but there were also quite a few moments when nothing happened when it could have—like when they were playing board games this afternoon.

Scott apparently spooks easily, but that’s the biggest question of them all. Isaac knows from the grapevine and a little bit from personal witness that Scott is no stranger to affection. He lavished Allison with it so Isaac knows he’s not afraid to express himself—but why with Isaac?

Is it too soon after Allison? Is it because he’s a guy? A werewolf? His beta? His friend?

There are so many variables. There’s too many of them, in fact. Isaac wants to make sure. He doesn’t want to jump to any conclusions and end up ruining the friendship between them. After all, this can just be the world’s most awkward friendship and Isaac has no idea. He’s never had a friend close enough to really tell.

Isaac swallows hard because Scott is looking at him expectantly. He turns quickly to take off his shoes and socks and pants and changes into a white undershirt and boxers. He keeps his clothes in a pile by the door, though, in case they have some visitors in the night. No one wants to see Isaac fighting around in just his boxer shorts.

He gives Scott a shy smile and shuts off the light before climbing into bed with him.

There is a space between them at first, but it’s barely an inch. They’re both lying flat on their back and staring up at the ceiling. It’s different, now. This isn’t the two of them falling asleep on the bed because they’ve watched a movie. This is the two of them deliberately lying side by side in close quarters. This is… a little too much to handle.

Isaac wants to get up and run. He wants to bolt out the door and never come back. He also wants to pin Scott to the bed and pour out everything he’s wanted to say for so long. He doesn’t know how much talking he’d accomplish since he mostly just wants to mash his lips against Scott’s. It’s stupid. It’s so stupid and he’s tired of it. 

Suddenly, it’s like the two of them had the same thought at once. For Isaac, it was a silent note to himself that he’d just give up trying so hard and simply wrap his arms around Scott because it’s what he wants to do. He wants to do so much more, but by holding all of it back for so long, he figures a little trickle will help ease the pressure. Scott must have had a similar idea because they turn toward each other and tangle their arms around one another.

It’s awkward and strange and they both laugh a little. After some shifting, Isaac finds his head resting on Scott’s inner arm, his nose nuzzling his shoulder. His arms are wrapped around Scott’s waist as a leverage to keep him close. With every breath Isaac takes, he breaths in the heady smell of just Scott. He can feel Scott’s nose in his hair and one dark arm drapes itself over Isaac’s shoulder. He is being held by his alpha and together they’re curled about each other like two puzzle pieces.

Scott’s chest vibrates with another small chuckle. “Is this a pack thing?”

Isaac’s breath hitches a little and he hopes his heart doesn’t give him away as his mood falls a little. He was expecting Scott to come to terms a little bit with what was going on so that Isaac could be in the know as well, but Scott still chose to deny all of it.

As far as Isaac is concerned, that’s still fine. He gets to hold Scott like this all he wants and can blame it on pack bonding until Scott figures out what it is that’s really keeping them together. Isaac isn’t quite sure himself, but he what he does know is that Scott is someone special to him.

Scott, who, even though he knew so little about Isaac, stood up for him when he learned about what his father was doing. He sought out Isaac when he first turned and was genuinely concerned for him. Despite everything Isaac did to him and his friends in the midst of the kanima frenzy, Scott still managed to care for Isaac. He still warned Isaac to be careful at the rave. He still helped Isaac learn about the good side of his powers and he didn’t make fun of him when Isaac held back tears in Dr. Deaton’s clinic. Scott listened to him. Scott helped him fine-tune his abilities. Scott befriended him when no one else would.

Isaac can’t help himself as he presses his nose further into Scott’s shoulder and neck, sniffing him. Scott tenses a little and it helps to clear Isaac’s mind from the wolf and stop him from unsheathing his fangs and biting down. Instead he swallows hard and answers Scott’s question. “I don’t know, but it feels right.”

Scott shudders a little, and he goes back to burying his face in Isaac’s curls and whispers, “Yeah. Yeah it does.”

Isaac closes his eyes and forces himself to sleep. The steady beat of Scott’s heart and the feel of his breath going in and out eventually work like a lullaby and before Isaac knows it, he’s dozing, content.

*

A piercing howl cuts through the sea of tranquility and slams into Isaac’s very core. He opens his eyes, completely alert.

He knows exactly where he is. It feels like he hasn’t been asleep for very long, but after he and Scott untangle themselves from each other, Isaac checks his phone. It’s four in the morning.

Scott falls out of bed and scrambles into his outer clothing with Isaac not far behind. Scott is blocking the door, though, and he holds out one hand to Isaac’s chest to stop him from going out into the small hallway.

“What is it?” Isaac whispers.

“Boyd,” Scott answers. Apparently he’s much better at deciphering the meaning of Peter’s howl. It was definitely Peter’s howl.

Isaac makes a move to rush downstairs, but Scott presses him firmly back. Isaac makes an attempt to interject, but Scott shakes his head slowly. As he does, the fine wolf hairs sprout from his sideburns, his face shifts, his fangs emerge and his claws lengthen. “Stay,” he commands Isaac.

“What?”

“They don’t know how many we have exactly,” Scott reiterates. “Stay back as reinforcement. We’ll get them by surprise.” All Isaac hears is, ‘I don’t want you to get hurt,’ again. He hesitates and pulls back. It’s a command from his alpha and he can’t ignore that.

Scott disappears into the darkness and Isaac freezes and closes his eyes just to block out all other sensory input. He places nearly every ounce of energy he has into his hearing. 

Stiles is upstairs, too, Isaac can hear him breathing in the next room. His heart is pounding in Isaac’s ears and he’s worried that Boyd and whoever else is downstairs will be able to hear it, too.

Isaac stands perfectly still. It’s an easy task to do mostly because he’s petrified. The adrenaline that courses through his veins keeps all his senses in overdrive. He doesn’t even have to strain to hear everything just outside the door.

There’s a lot of scuffling at first—probably the wolves downstairs getting into position. From what Isaac can tell, everyone is just outside the door. No one has entered the home. That’s a good sign.

“What did they do to him?” Scott sounds as pissed as Isaac feels.

Scott’s question is immediately followed by a warning from Derek. “Scott, stay back.”

“But he’s hurt!”

“Scott,” comes Peter’s voice and there’s silence for a second. Isaac assumes its because Scott has backed away.

There’s a hitch in breath that sounds too close for comfort and Isaac’s eyes dart about the room. When they reach the open door, he sees Erica standing at the doorframe in one of Peter’s t-shirts. The makeup Lydia put on her is smeared and she looks like she wants to bolt down the stairs. Isaac shakes his head slowly and she nods, swallowing too loudly for Isaac’s taste.

There are so many sounds to pick out. Everyone’s heart is beating wildly. Everyone’s breathing is erratic. Isaac has to shut his eyes tight just to start sorting through all the auditory input. He’s searching for Boyd. He needs to hear which heartbeat is Boyd’s. He can hear the quick, slight breaths of Lydia downstairs. In retrospect they should have let her stay upstairs seeing as she is human. He can pick out the steady, familiar beat of Scott’s heart. He wants to keep his attention focused on the beloved muscle but he knows he needs to check on Boyd for his own reasons.

There’s a weezing, gasping noise and Isaac knows he has it. Boyd is having trouble breathing—almost like the time he’d been poisoned with wolfsbane bullets. Isaac wonders how anyone could run through the streets gasping for air like that. Tiny pieces of Isaac’s heart breaks when he thinks about the state Boyd is in. If Scott had that kind of reaction to Boyd’s appearance, Isaac isn’t even sure he wants to see.

A sharp cackle startles Isaac. It’s one he has never heard before and has a feeling he will hear it again. Footsteps. A grunt and a whine. The simultaneous growl of four very irate werewolves.

“I see our bloodhound is very good at what he does,” the cackling voice muses. There’s another thud and a whine. 

“Let him go,” comes Derek’s voice. “I shouldn’t even have to ask.”

“Oh but you did, and that makes this so much more fun, doesn’t it?” Isaac wishes he could have a face to go with that voice so he can punch it.

“Why are you doing this?” Scott’s voice cuts in. “What’s the point?”

“Does there need to be one?” that snide voice continues in a sort of drawl. “Honestly we took them to see if you cared, but then it got boring. So I spruced it up a little.”

“You’re sick.”

“Sometimes you have to be.”

There’s a yelp and a scuffle downstairs and Isaac tenses.

Isaac’s blood is boiling. Every cell in his body is shifting into his wolf form. He only holds it out for a minute or so and then gives up even trying. It’s a direct refusal of his alphas orders to go downstairs but Isaac can feel every bit of his being telling him to go.

Besides, this is supposed to be a pack of alphas, isn’t it? Then why did they only send one to follow Boyd? It’s obvious this asshole decided it would be great fun to send Boyd out looking for Erica like this. He would want to be close to her after everything they’ve been through. Isaac knows the alpha pack didn’t need to use Boyd. They wanted to. Everything they’ve done so far has been to hurt the pack.

But why?

Isaac forces himself to head for the window to confirm something that has been nagging him at the back of his mind. If Scott wanted him to stay behind, this alpha probably wanted some of the other members of his pack to stay behind. Isaac has a better vantage point from his second story window so he can overlook the parking lot and see how many alphas there are out there.

He feels much better knowing he can do this for his pack… except that he can easily see two more wolves behind cars.

Without even giving his strategy a second thought, Isaac completes his shift and bounds down the stairs.

Once on the main floor, Isaac gives the situation a quick sweep. Lydia is huddled in the kitchen, far away from the front door. Jackson is standing before her like a shield, wolfed out and ready to fight. 

Peter and Derek have managed to get a hold of the alpha and have him pinned to the side of the house, teeth gnashing and everything. Scott is dragging Boyd inside. Isaac wastes no time in lending a hand.

“There’s two more. Just outside,” Isaac pants over the adrenaline in his ears.

He can’t see the alpha, just a flash of dark hair and red eyes. He can see the other two clearly, however, mostly because they’re running on all fours to the house.

There’s a squeak at the top of the stairs and it’s Erica. She takes only one shaky step and then tumbles down the rest of the stairs with Stiles at her heels. Together they take over Boyd. Stiles, who is extremely level-headed in the heat of battle, rushes to the kitchen for some water and starts barking orders at Lydia to get food and first aid supplies.

With Erica, Boyd, Lydia and Stiles behind them, Jackson, Scott and Isaac are able to focus their attention on the two alpha wolves rushing to the aid of their pinned pack mate. All three teens growl out a warning but it’s the pinned alpha who shouts out, “Stop!”

Everyone freezes. The alpha’s order pushes out and hits all of them like the blast of a megaphone.

The dark haired alpha laughs and Isaac once more gets that uncontrollable urge to punch him in the face—teeth and all. He shoves himself free from Derek and Peter with relative ease. In fact, it is so easy for him to break free, Isaac thinks he let himself get manhandled into the siding. 

It’s not the now free alpha that catches his attention. It’s the two alphas that are behind him. They’re identical. Isaac’s brain goes too fast to process any thoughts in a logical order. He thought becoming an alpha was something that you either inherited, like in the case of Derek or you achieved through personality decisions and leadership skills like Scott. Having two alphas in a pack that were completely unrelated made sense to Isaac, but brothers? Let alone twins? Then his brain went on a tangent stating that the DNA is the same and therefore they both carry the alpha gene, so they’re probably born wolves like Derek and—

His train of thought is cut off because the dark haired alpha is speaking again. “You should have accepted our offer, Scott. We could have done so much with you.”

Isaac can feel Scott tense beside him. “This is my pack. This is my family.” Isaac whirls his head around to look at Scott in bewilderment. Family? Is that what this feels like?

“So be it,” the alpha spits. “You’re all weak. You’re all just puppies—freshly bitten. The only born wolves are so mentally and psychologically scarred they’re never be able to guide a pack properly.” His brows furrow. Something like hope builds in Isaac’s chest. Maybe they don’t want them after all. If this hotshot pack of alphas thinks they’re so weak, they might not even bother with them anymore. He can hear Jackson’s low growl in his throat from his other side. Isaac may like the idea of peacefully staying away from the alpha pack, but he knows that Jackson wants a fight.

“In fact, you’re all too weak to even call yourselves wolves. What’s stopping us from killing all of you?”

Nevermind.

Isaac gears himself up. Even though there are seven wolves in their pack right now, only five of them are in any fighting condition, and two of them are alphas. If anything, the five of them against three alphas is probably a fair fight---and a fair fight is not what Isaac wants. He wants an advantage.

A voice calls from the living room and everyone turns to see Stiles seething. “You would honestly kill others of your kind just because you think they’re weak? God werewolves suck.”

Derek looks like he’s ready to kill Stiles for putting himself out there like that. Isaac doesn’t know whether to laugh or get ready to claw out someone’s throat. He expects the alphas to launch an attack at the human. What he doesn’t expect is for the three of them—all three of them—to start laughing.

“Seriously?” The dark-haired alpha speaks again. Isaac wonders if the twins will ever say a word. “You have a fucking human for a pet? Who does he belong to?” 

Derek finally takes his stand and turns on the alpha, eyes flashing red and growling fiercely. “Leave my pack alone and get off this property. Now.” His words come in harsh tones—far from anything that should be uttered at what Scott had previously tried to describe as peaceful negotiations. This isn’t peaceful. This is stressful.

One of the twins lets out a little snort and quickly covers it up. “He’s yours?”

Any amount of tension seems to clear up just as fast as it arrived. All three alphas are looking at the pack like they’re all insane. Isaac may be going out on a limb, but he assumes this particular pack doesn’t have any humans in it. Humans, Derek may have mentioned once, keep the pack level-headed and sane. If it’s this crazed alpha’s grand idea to starve Erica and Boyd only to set Erica free and then use Boyd to track her down directly to their home… Isaac really wants nothing to do with them.

After all, Peter said that when a new alpha comes, other packs take notice. If all packs are like this, then Isaac wants to stray as far from the norm as possible. For all he cares, pack dynamics can go out the window. He likes the way his pack works and there’s no way some scary wolf pack can tell them how they’re supposed to live. The last thing Isaac wants to deal with is werewolf rulebooks and politics. He has enough to worry about, already.

Derek looks like he wants to kill someone. It doesn’t matter who. The alphas don’t seem to be bothered by that, though.

Even after all that tension and all that build-up—all it takes is an awkward comment to get the alphas to let up. It must be the icing on the cake, because the three of them begin to turn around.

“NO,” says Jackson suddenly. He steps forward, shoving Isaac into Scott as he makes his way to the alphas. “You’re just going to leave? Turn tail and run off?”

The main alpha narrows his eyes at Jackson. He’s young, probably about as old as Derek, but nowhere near as scruffy. “Would you rather fight here?” Jackson doesn’t say anything; he just keeps his jaw set and his eyes glaring daggers at the alphas. His muscles shift under his shirt.

“Jackson, NO.” Four wolves and a human say all at once and pull him back just as the blue eyed wolf tries to launch himself at the dark alpha with all the rage Jackson is known for.

“I swear to God, I will call the cops,” Scott warns.

Jackson snaps loudly at Scott, but the alphas are already snickering and bounding off into the patch of woods just outside the parking lot. A resounding howl echoes in the distance, signaling to any nearby wolves to steer clear. It makes Isaac’s hackles rise.

“Curses, foiled again!” Stiles breaks the anticlimactic tension with a false deep voice. Everyone gives him a look and he just shrugs. “What? They’re like a Batman villain. They’ll be back.”

Isaac is one of the first to shift back completely to human as he lets go of Jackson and slumps against the banister of the stairwell. Peter closes the front door. The prolonged exposure to the outside world has allowed a few moths to travel indoors and wreck havoc out of the corners of Isaac’s eyes. “I thought they were all set to kill all of us. Not… whatever the hell that was.”

“Was that another test?” Scott asks the room. Everyone looks expectantly toward Derek and Peter, even Erica and Lydia’s attention is pulled from the situation in the kitchen.

“Yes,” Peter says eventually.

“Did we… pass?” asks Isaac.

“Does it matter if we did?” Jackson snarls. “I don’t think they’re going to go away. All we got from today is that everyone is too chicken shit to duke it out in public.”

“It’s called, playing-it-smart,” Scott snaps at him. “At least we know what they look like. Well, some of them anyway. Now we can spot them on the street if we come across them.”

“Good,” a croaking voice rasps from the kitchen. Boyd is struggling to sit up. Erica has her arms around him, holding him up and it looks like she’s shaking more than he is. His breathing is labored and uneven, but he doesn’t look as feral and confused as Erica did when she first woke up. “I will rip out their throats personally if I ever see them.”

Silence falls over the group. No one has to speak to know what everyone else is thinking. Despite how young and strange the new alpha group is… and even though it seems like one person calls all the shots anyway, everyone wants revenge for what they did to Erica and Boyd.

No one says a word. Everyone can see it in each other’s eyes.

*

After the initial shock wears off, the entire household slumps over with fatigue. The adrenaline has long since worn off. Everyone makes a point out of checking on Boyd and Erica before retiring, however. Erica refuses to leave Boyd’s side and they camp out in the living room, much to Jackson’s dismay. Peter locks himself in his room and no one says a word about it. Isaac and Scott make sure to say goodnight to Stiles before they retire to Isaac’s room.

Once inside, Isaac falls to the bed, exhausted. Scott follows him a second later and they wrap shaking arms around each other, mimicking the way they had fallen asleep before. The way they cling to each other feels so natural that neither of them feel the need to bring it up—just relish in the fact that it’s happening.

Isaac loves holding onto Scott like this. Now that they’re curled around each other, hands twisting in the fabric of their shirts, Isaac finally lets the emotions from the night hit him. They faced the alpha pack and survived. No one even got hurt. In spite of this, Isaac can’t stop his brain from conjuring up a million different scenarios in which they all could have died. Before he knows it, he’s shaking.

“Hey,” Scott says, pulling back momentarily from where his nose was buried in Isaac’s curls. “You okay?”

“I’m fine,” Isaac says, willing himself to stop shaking. There’s no reason he should be like this—other than the fact that he can’t stand the thought of Scott dying in such a brutal way. He swallows hard and looks deliberately at Scott’s chin. The result is oddly calming. “Sometimes I think you’re much braver than I am.”

Scott chuckles a little goes back to holding Isaac to his chest. “I’m really not. I had no idea what I was doing. I was terrified. I never wanted any of this. I’m not cut out for this.”

Isaac pulls Scott closer to him. His mouth is pressed up against Scott’s shirt and he’s a bit mournful that the thin cotton fabric is even there. If Scott were shirtless, Isaac could talk with his mouth up against skin and perhaps sneak in a kiss undetected. “You were awesome. I’m glad you’re my alpha.”

Scott’s heartbeat is loud in Isaac’s ears but only because he has his head so close to Scott’s chest. His shaking stops. His brain actually stops sending him a thousand questions a second for once. He lets the steady in and out of Scott’s lungs lull him into a dreamlike state. He is so exhausted he can hear Scott say something, but his mind doesn’t comprehend the words. Various possibilities and thoughts float about in Isaac’s head but none of them even make any sense. He’s trapped in world between wakefulness and sleep and in one part of his mind, Scott simply says ‘Me too.’”

In another part that is completely in a dreamlike state, Scott says so much more than that. So much, in fact, that Isaac feels compelled to move his head in his sleep and kiss Scott just like he’s wanted to for so long. He’s too tired to open his eyes and do it properly, so he tilts his head up and plants a sloppy kiss on Scott’s lower neck before succumbing to sleep completely.

He doesn’t feel the tensing of the muscles or the hitch in breath or the sudden onslaught of body heat as Scott’s temperature rises. He misses all the signs in his slumber.

He also misses the soft kiss Scott places on the top of his head.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Sunday is a day of recovery and last minute scrambling to study for finals.

Neither Isaac nor Scott bring up the night before, but there is a definite change to their behavior. If there is even the remote chance of the two of them touching, chances are, they’re already doing it. They sit close together during meals. Their legs wrap around each other while they study with the rest of the pack in the living room. There is more playful shoving and hair tousling than is absolutely necessary.  
And yet no one says a word.

There are plenty of stares, but Isaac doesn’t notice. It’s like he’s in a protective bubble and everything in the entire world is Scott-related.

When everyone leaves that night to go their separate ways, Isaac feels cold and strangely alone. He has Boyd and Erica back, but it’s not the same.

When they first left, he felt empty. A part of Isaac left with them. Now that they are back, he hopes that place can be filled again, but it isn’t. Boyd and Erica have changed. They’re twitchy and paranoid. They cock their heads quickly to every small sound. They stay within two feet of each other at all times, as if being separated again could kill them. It’s both heartwarming and heartbreaking to watch.

The sense of trio they had when Derek first turned them is disappearing. It’s like Erica and Boyd are one entity and Isaac is something completely different. He wants things to go back to how they were—with Boyd being a bit of a loner and Erica being the closest thing to a best friend Isaac ever had…

But he also knows that’s selfish. He’s changed, too. He has Scott and Stiles, now. And, well, mostly Scott. Over the months, Scott has more than filled the spot that Erica and Boyd left. He just didn’t fill it with the same stuff. Isaac is something altogether new and whatever it is doesn’t fit with his pack mates the same way.

He hopes he hasn’t lost them. He hopes maybe one day they can figure out just what it is that is pulling them apart and fix it. They will get there. They have to.

Isaac sleeps alone in his bed that night. Just the night before he’d been thinking how small his bed seemed, but now it’s too big. Isaac can stretch his entire body out and still feel like there is too much room and he hates it. He misses Scott more than just a warm body. He misses the heartbeat and the breathing and the scent. Two nights in a row isn’t enough to make something a usual occurrence but Isaac did find he slept better—in spite of the stress levels he should have been under.

In order to finally get some sleep, Isaac has to bury his face in the pillow Scott used. The scent is faint, but it’s still there. Isaac shuts his eyes and tells himself he will see Scott at school tomorrow and the thought is pleasant enough that it allows him to drift away.

*

Final’s week is hell.

Isaac knows his material. He really does. He’s studied enough in the past month that he should be able to fill in every single one of those bubbles on his Scantron in ten minutes.

Scott is two chairs away from him in history class, only slightly diagonal and Isaac doesn’t even have to raise his head to stare at him. Only his eyes move and watch Scott chew at the end of his pencil. Scott perspires in agitation and grabs at his hair and looks like he wants nothing more than to crumple up the paper and throw it at the teacher’s head.

Isaac taps his pencil on the desk lightly, but it is enough for Scott to hear and he turns around slightly to catch Isaac’s eye.

With a lift of his eyebrow and a tiny smirk, Isaac flashes Scott a smile full of teeth. He hopes it will give Scott the confidence to concentrate. He also hopes it’ll give _himself_ the confidence to concentrate.

The plan fails horribly because Scott’s lips curl up in a happy grin and he grips his pencil so hard it snaps. Isaac has to bury his head in his arm to keep himself from laughing too loudly.

When Isaac looks up again, a very red Scott is furiously reading his test and muttering to himself as he fills out his Scantron with only half a pencil.

Isaac’s insides twist with admiration and he forces himself to pay attention to his own work.

*

“My neck hurts from looking down. No more tests _pleeease_ ,” Stiles whines and rolls his neck around on his shoulders. “I have no idea why Finnstock decided to do another essay question at the end of his exam. I mean, really? I’m getting carpal tunnel from this week, alone.”

Isaac and Stiles are sitting on the concrete steps in front of the school waiting for Scott to finish with his last exam. Scott’s mother had apparently enrolled Scott into the school’s resource program, demanding he be allowed extra time to finish his tests. Scott, too embarrassed probably, never mentioned this to anyone. Stiles and Isaac found out the first day after they had to wait a half hour after Mr. Harris’s final finished.

“I’m surprised I even stayed awake through all of mine,” Isaac says. “Especially after last week.”

“Yeah…” Stiles agrees. “Thank God we have tomorrow off. I’m going to sleep the entire day. No interruptions.”

“But then you’ll be awake all night,” Isaac points out.

Stiles shrugs, “I’m okay with that, especially since the next day is Saturday. What are you doing with your day off?”

Isaac stares at his hands, “I don’t know. I thought I was spending it with the pack, but if you’re sleeping all day and Erica and Boyd are going to be doing make-up work so they won’t have to repeat a grade, I guess I’m stuck with Derek.”

“What about Scott?” Stiles asks, as if he means absolutely nothing by it. His eyebrows waggle at Isaac and give the impression that he’s teasing.

Isaac fights the inside of his cheeks to keep from smiling, knowing by now that it’s stupid of him to keep flushing every time someone says Scott’s name. Scott is a very common name. Isaac may eventually go into cardiac arrest if he can’t control himself during English class whenever F. Scott Fitzgerald is mentioned. “He’ll probably want to sleep all day, too. It’s been a rough week for him. His mom really made him crack down on studying.”

“Oh, I have a feeling he’ll need some time to relax…” Stiles says, the strangest inflection fills his voice.

Isaac raises an eyebrow at him, “Isn’t that what I just said?”

“No I mean, he’s been tense all week because of these finals. He needs a distraction.”

“A what?”

“A momentary release from the pressure his mom puts him through.”

“What so like… video games?”

“Guy time.”

“Video games.”

“Oh my God,” Stiles scrubs at his buzz cut in frustration. “He needs to hang out with someone that isn’t his mom or a textbook.”

Isaac stares at him. “Then why don’t we all go over to his house when Scott gets out of his last test?”

Stiles glares at Isaac like he has no idea what to think. Isaac gives him a confused look, but inside he’s smiling so wide his ears are probably glowing. Isaac can totally go over to Scott’s house and hang out. It’s not like he’s been waiting all week for something like this—he just wants to hear it spoken out loud. Even text conversations have been kept to a minimum. Stiles reaches out and puts his hands on Isaac’s shoulders to shake him. “What are you doing?” Isaac’s voice wobbles.

“Shaking some sense into you,” Stiles grumbles. “Seriously. The two of you are going to make me throw up my internal organs if you both don’t stop being so girly about everything. I’m not going to be a messenger again. No way. No how. Just go already.”

“Go where?” Scott’s voice inquires behind them. Both Isaac and Stiles look up from their spot on the steps. Stiles quickly retreats his hands from Isaac’s shoulders and wipes his palms on his jeans as if Isaac has some kind of disease. Isaac gives Stiles a dirty look but quickly wipes it from his face as he turns back to Scott.

“Now that finals are over, we—I was wondering if I could come over?” Isaac asks with as much innocence as he can muster. There’s no way Scott needs to know that he’s practically drooling at the thought of having Scott to himself, again… granted Melissa isn’t there.

Scott grimaces. “I can’t right now, Isaac.” He looks as torn as Isaac feels. “I have to meet with Allison.”

“Allison?” Stiles and Isaac say at the same time, but with two completely different tones.

“Yeah, it’s just… it’ll be really quick. I’ll text you when I’m done, okay?”

Isaac swallows thickly, his heart plummeting. He knows he should be happy that Scott still wants to do… whatever tonight. There is still a part of him that feels like now he won’t get a chance to see Scott at all tonight because he’ll lose track of time and stay with Allison all evening.

Isaac fakes a smile and nods. Scott puts a friendly hand on Isaac shoulder. They stay like that for a moment with Scott making an attempt to catch Isaac’s eye and Isaac trying hard to avoid Scott’s gaze. Scott smiles weakly and shifts his backpack on his shoulder. “Give me an hour, okay? I’ll text you and we can still do something tonight, yeah? There’s just something I have to do.”

Scott bounds down the stairs without a second glance and heads for his bike. Stiles makes a noise beside Isaac so he turns to see what’s wrong. Stiles just nudges Isaac’s shoulder and says, “Typical Scott.”

Yeah. Typical Scott.

*

An hour later, Isaac still hasn’t heard from Scott.

He tells himself this is normal. It has to be. Maybe his phone is dying or maybe he’s being held up somewhere doing… something. Isaac doesn’t want to think too much about it. It hurts.

He’s decided he’s going to run through the woods and get some of his pent-up frustrations out of his system. He lets himself shift fully and even though it’s still light outside, he takes to the woods of the preserve.

Running is exhilarating. His wolf can sense and pick up the tiniest ruffling of leaves. It alerts him to various branches and obstacles and he leaps around them easily in the underbrush. He tracks a deer for a while but without any proper bloodlust he doesn’t feel the urge to kill it. It’s a first for him. Usually when he’s wolfed out, all he wants to do is test his claws on the skin of rabbits, but this time it’s different. He has a solid anchor.

He wants to keep Scott out of his head, but he can’t. When he thinks about Scott he wants it to be filled with anger—filled with little things Scott has said to piss him off… but he cannot think of any. Instead, his brain filters through his memories and only brings up the nicest ones. He can practically smell Scott, the memories are so vivid.

He follows the imaginary trail through the woods until he comes across a cliff overlooking the town. There are tire-tracks everywhere and Isaac knows others have been using this place for various teenage deeds.

Scott’s scent is here, but it’s faint. Isaac pads around the area slowly, drinking in the heady Scott smell when he stops. There’s a rock with Scott’s scent all over it and there’s something carved into the smooth face. It’s no doubt an old note to Allison, now preserved for the centuries in this spot. Archeologists thousands of years from now might stumble upon this stone and make predictions about undying devotion and star-crossed lovers.

Isaac wants to take the rock and chuck it off the side of the cliff when the sound of wheels crunching twigs takes over his sense and he dodges into the underbrush.

It’s Allison’s car, and Scott is with her.

Allison turns off the ignition and the two of them sit in silence for a moment, but neither of them move. Isaac wonders if Scott can sense him outside the car or not. He knows that if he tries to make any kind of run for it, Scott would notice, so he stills himself and tries to monitor his own breathing.

Isaac strains his ears—trying to hear something, but the makers of car insulation actually do their job very well and Isaac can only gather muffled voices. He’s too far away to really make any sense of the words and he can’t lip-read to save his life.

They both sound upset. Allison’s eyes are red like she’s either just stopped crying or is about to. Scott is trying to console her before anything gets way out of hand. 

Eventually, Allison takes a deep breath and looks up at the roof of her vehicle before turning back to Scott with a smile. It seems genuine like… she’s happy for him? Happy with him? Happy for what? She says something Isaac can’t quite guess.

And then Scott beams back at her and they lean in close. Scott’s lips form the words, “I love you,” and he looks like his eyes are sparkling and he’s incredibly happy and Isaac thinks they’re about to kiss and seal the deal and he just can’t take it anymore so he turns around and bolts.

He knows he was too loud about it. He hears the click of car doors and the sound of footsteps and Scott’s strong voice calling out, “Hello?” And then, “…Isaac?”

Isaac keeps running, tears pricking at the corner of his eyes. After everything they’d been through—after all of what Isaac thought were signs, after all of Stiles’ teasings… nothing? Would Scott always go back to Allison? A primal urge bubbles in his gut and he lets it gain power and escape through his muzzle in the form of a long, dismal howl.

*

Isaac runs until he can’t run anymore. He has no idea what time it is. He can easily check his phone but he’s gotten so many calls and texts that he’s turned it off. The sun is threatening to set and Isaac ignores it, too.

He’s sitting on the porch steps of the Hale house. He hadn’t wanted to come here, but in the end, this was the only place he could think of that felt isolated enough to give him the sense of solitude.

After letting his brain run its full course of insecurities, Isaac is glad to find that it’s basically shut down along with his body out of fatigue. He doesn’t mind. It’s relaxing not to have to think too much about anything. He watches the wind play with the leaves of the trees against the darkening sky and it only soothes him further.

When he hears the loud grumble of Stiles’ Jeep, he doesn’t move. He doesn’t feel like talking to Stiles at the moment. He doesn’t feel like talking to anyone. He doesn’t even bothering asking himself why is Stiles of all people coming to find him.

Isaac raises a heavy arm up to wave off the intruder.

“Hey, don’t be like that,” says a voice that isn’t Stiles at all.

Isaac’s eyes refocus at the silhouette in the Jeep’s headlights. Scott keeps walking and eventually sits down on the porch next to Isaac. If Isaac had the energy, he would scoot two feet away from him just to prove a childish point.

“Isaac,” Scott says. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Why’d you just run off?”

Isaac drags his face to stare hard at Scott. He really has no idea. His pulse isn’t lying. Isaac doesn’t know what to say.

Scott, always the one to fill the silences, speaks again, “You aren’t answering any of my calls and texts, either.”

“My phone died,” Isaac grunts out.

Scott frowns, probably knowing that Isaac just lied to him, but he doesn’t call him out on it. “Is something wrong? … that’s a stupid question, of course something is wrong.” He takes a deep breath and just blurts out, “I heard you howl, Isaac. You can’t deny that or I’ll know. That was not the howl of someone who is okay.”

Isaac fidgets a bit with the dirt under his nails. He may or may not have dug a few holes in his fury as well. “I…”

“Did you get bad grades on your finals?” Scott inquires.

Isaac stares at him. Scott probably knew the answer before he asked.

“Then are you mad because you couldn’t come over right away? I told you, I had something to take care of something.” Scott’s voice has a strange quality to it. It’s something Isaac can’t quite place.

Isaac sighs, thankful that Scott is the one to bring up the subject and not him. “What did Allison need?”

“Her bra back, for one,” Scott gives a little shrug like this is a normal thing. Isaac shifts a little uncomfortably. Scott may be used to the girl’s undergarment, but he isn’t. “I also needed to tell her something,” he swallows thickly.” You see, I…”

Scott’s heartbeat quickens and Isaac knows what’s coming. Scott is going to tell him what Isaac already knows. Scott isn’t over Allison. Maybe all of this mess with Isaac was just Scott figuring out that he really did still love Allison. Isaac saw him mouth the words. He saw them in that car together. It made perfect sense.

“It’s okay,” Isaac says, astonished that his mouth even formed the words, because really, it isn’t okay. “You don’t have to tell me.”

“No, I do. It’s important,” Scott reiterates. It seems like he’s mostly giving himself a pep talk rather than Isaac. Isaac turns to Scott with his eyebrows raised.

“I’m listening.”

“I wanted to get her opinion on something. Or, advice I guess. I mean. It’s weird going to Stiles about it and Derek isn’t very approachable and Allison understands me in a way most people don’t so I really respect her opinion…”

Isaac’s heart falls. Didn’t Scott just say that Isaac understood him in a way most people don’t? Why couldn’t he come to Isaac with his problems?

Scott scrunches his nose and laughs a little, “No, Isaac—Don’t. Don’t get all mopey on me. It was about _you_.”

Isaac’s jaw goes slack and it makes Scott laugh a bit harder. It doesn’t really seem like Scott is laughing at him, but more out of nerves. It actually makes Isaac feel more at ease. “Me?”

“Yes, you,” Scott repeats. “She was a bit upset at first but in the end, I think she might have been relieved?” His tone rose as he spoke, a bit unsure.

“I wasn’t following you,” Isaac says out of nowhere, like he needs to make sure he gets that out before Scott inquires further. “I was just killing time when you two showed up. I didn’t mean to watch.”

“It’s okay,” Scott starts.

“No, it’s not. It… it was private,” Isaac frowns. “I should have just ran when I saw you… or… or let you know I was there. But instead I saw—you told her you loved her, Scott.”

“Well, I do, I thought we went over this,” Scott’s brow furrows.

Isaac is pretty sure he wants to bury himself in one of the holes he just dug.

“But in the same way I love Stiles or my Mom,” Scott continues, apparently liking whatever kind of torture he was putting Isaac through because he kept smiling knowingly.

Isaac deflates. He doesn’t just feel relieved, his entire body is relieved. He slumped against the porch railing and leans his head against the rotting wood. He’s completely spent. He’s physically tired from the strain he just placed on his body and he’s emotionally tired from the past seventeen years. He just needs a nap. A very, very long nap.

“Say something,” Scott urges, scooting a little closer on the porch steps.

Isaac swivels his head to face Scott. He’s still recovering from the fact that Scott just admitted that his feelings for Allison have changed. Allison is no longer competition. Isaac still needs to gather the motivation to do something forward, but he has no idea what. “Something,” he mumbles.

Scott groans, “You’re making me do all the work! Can’t you meet me halfway? I’m not used to being this um… forward.”

For some reason, Isaac gets angry at that. Maybe it is too soon. Isaac had hoped that finally having some kind of the recognition with Scott would make him happy, but they haven’t even confessed anything to each other and Scott is already comparing him to Allison. It’s not fair to Isaac.

“I’m not Allison,” he snarls, probably a little harsher than he meant.

Scott doesn’t back down, “I know you’re not. You’re the furthest thing from Allison. You’re not a hunter, you’re the hunted. You’re not, I don’t know, openly teasing me with underwear and trying to get me to picture you naked and, hell, you’re not even the same gender.”

“Isn’t that what you prefer?” Isaac asks, just a little doubtful.

“Apparently not,” Scott is still trying to get Isaac to look at him, but Isaac refuses. He knows that if he so much as meets those deep caramel eyes, he will give in entirely, and he wants to hold this out for as long as he can. He wants answers.

“So you don’t want me to tease you with my underwear or picture me naked?” Isaac tries to keep his voice even, he really does. It’s a testament to his strength that he doesn’t even grin. He has to practically hide his face into the wood to keep Scott from noticing.

“Well, I mean, I didn’t say that. I said you don’t try to do things like that,” Scott scrambles around with his words, trying to pick up the pieces and the entire time he’s starting to smell aroused and Isaac can’t even contain himself anymore. “We just… talk and hang and you’re just… there and please stop looking at me like that.”

Isaac knows he has a predatory look on his face. He can almost see it reflected in Scott’s eyes. He can’t help it. Scott is fumbling with his words and trying not to stutter and his bottom jaw is jutting out and pushing his bottom lip with it and Isaac really wants to see what it tastes like.

“I would,” Isaac manages to growl.

Scott gulps, his adam’s apple bobbing. “Would what?”

“Tease you,” Isaac says, his voice low. “If I knew I was allowed.” He can’t help himself. He feels like he’s watching himself from a completely different point of view.

Scott is trying hard not to let his emotions run away with him. Isaac can smell all of them, but the shorter wolf’s face is stoic. Isaac knows exactly what he’s scenting; it was Scott after all who taught him how to pick up emotions. Right now Scott smells like happiness and arousal but mostly anxiety. “You’re allowed,” Scott chokes out eventually, forcing his gaze away from Isaac and out toward the Jeep.

Isaac follows his gaze. “Good to know,” he says offhandedly. 

They sit together for a brief moment, enjoying the electricity that is shifting between the two of them. Isaac hesitates because Scott still hasn’t said it. He’s implied that there’s something between them, hell, he’s even given permission for Isaac to flirt with him, but it still doesn’t mean anything. There were no declarations of love. Isaac has no idea what Scott is thinking, but he wishes he did.

“So….” Scott breaks the silence. “You okay to come over, now?”

Isaac laughs loudly, his head rolling back on his shoulders like he’s laughing at the roof of the porch. “Yeah,” he says between giggles. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

He stands up, clearly uncomfortable, and Scott stands with him. Neither of them look at each other, or look down for that matter. Isaac can smell the want all over Scott and he knows Scott can smell it all over him.

Sitting in the Jeep is even worse. It smells like Stiles and Derek. Isaac hates it. He doesn’t want to smell anyone else but Scott. He wants his scent and Scott’s to mix. Scott’s nostrils flare the second he sits in the Jeep as well and Isaac knows he feels the same.

Scott has to play the music loud and roll the windows down just to clear the air of the mutual lust radiating from the two of them. It only agitates Isaac even more. He doesn’t want their own scents to dissipate, he only wants Derek’s and Stiles’ scents to go away. He wants the fast food trash on the floor of the car to stop smelling like old curly fries. He wants to bury his face in Scott’s neck and sick his teeth into that mocha skin but he can’t because Scott is driving and how the hell can Scott drive?

Scott looks so relaxed and it causes all kinds of new agitation to rise up in Isaac. How can he be so calm?

Isaac drums his fingers on his knee and curls his toes in his shoes to keep his mind pre-occupied. The ride takes about three years, but when they finally reach Scott’s house, Stiles is sitting on the front porch texting. He looks up momentarily and then waves at them as Scott tosses the keys over to him.

“Oh good, you found him,” Stiles says with a sigh, then he points to Isaac and narrows his eyes. “You ruined my nap time, buddy. I know where you sleep.”

Isaac can’t answer him. If he talks, he’ll cut his tongue on his teeth that he knows are just dying to come out. He has to clench his fists and dig his nails into the palms of his hands just to keep himself from doing anything he’ll regret.

“Stiles, you should… get home,” Scott’s eyes flick back and forth from Isaac to Stiles and to the Jeep. He gives Stiles a sort of urgent look and Stiles raises his hands up in defense.

“I get it, I get it, I’m going,” he practically stumbles over himself getting to his Jeep, barely giving Isaac a second glance as he goes past. “Have fun, kids!” he calls.

Once Stiles is behind him, he’s completely evacuated from Isaac’s mind. Everything in Isaac’s entire being is centered on Scott.

Scott, who is unlocking his front door and gesturing Isaac inside, calls out to him. “Hurry,” he stage whispers, nodding his head to the darkened interior. “Your eyebrows are disappearing.”

Isaac releases his nails from a fast-healing palm and touches his face. He’s apparently been wolfing out a lot more than he realized. Panicked, he rushes into Scott’s house and Scott quickly closes the door behind him.

“What’s happening?” Isaac says, his speech slurred by fangs.

“Just calm down,” Scott assures him. His hands twitch up and down like he’s deciding on whether or not he wants to physically comfort Isaac or not.

Isaac’s heart is beating rapidly and he can’t stop it. Two heartbeats pound in his ears and they’re in sync. If Scott’s heart is going this fast, then how can he be so calm? Why aren’t his fangs out? How come he’s looking at Isaac with that worried face?

“Isaac,” Scott says again. “Calm. Down.”

“I can’t!” Isaac shuts his eyes to block out any visual stimuli, but his hearing and his sense of smell intensify. He can’t smell Scott’s arousal anymore—it’s so masked by anxiety and worry that he can’t even actively seek it out. He focuses on the feeling of worry and tries to use that to calm him down.

The overpowering scent of fresh linen and mint fills Isaac’s lungs first, and then comes the feel of a strong hand on his cheek. Small calluses from holding a lacrosse stick brush his skin, but Isaac finds he loves the imperfections. He exhales slowly and lets his cheek rub against the palm of Scott’s hand.

“Scott,” he breathes. There is no lisp. His teeth have gone back to their normal state.

When he lifts his eyelids, he’s not at all astonished to see how close he is to a pair of deep brown eyes. Their faces are inches apart.

“There you are,” Scott says and Isaac can tell he’s watching Isaac slowly regain control and shift back into his human form. He’s smiling and seems oddly smug with himself. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?”

Isaac places a hand over Scott’s on his cheek, holding it there just in case Scott has any ideas about moving it. “What happened?”

“You lost control.”

“Yes, but why?”

“Why do you think?” Scott is still grinning.

It clicks in Isaac’s mind and he suddenly feels the urge to pull away, but he remains still. “It’s nice to know I’m that obvious.”

“Not obvious enough, apparently,” Scott muses. “If it took me this long to figure it out.”

Isaac grins in spite of himself, “Yeah, well, you were always slow on the uptake.”

“I’m not the one who wolfed out.”

“We could have avoided it if you’d have figured it out a bit sooner.”

“Nah, you still would have wolfed out. Trust me.”

“…Scott?”

“What?”

“Why haven’t you kissed me, yet?”

Scott recoils, taking his hand with him. He flares up with an obvious flush and Isaac revels in finally getting the upper hand. Scott may have experience in being able to control his wolf in times of lust, but Isaac can still manage to get his human side flustered and that’s enough for him. “I was waiting for you to do it!” Scott shouts out his excuse.

“How come I have to?”

Scott doesn’t even hesitate. “I got us this far. You’re supposed to take us the rest of the way.”

“What, is there a rulebook for this sort of thing?” Isaac is amused, which is so much easier to deal with than having a nervous breakdown constantly.

Scott frowns, “Well… you wanted to know what I was talking to Allison about and it was this entirely. She said to give you all the variables but you have to put them together and act on it. Or something. She used a lot of big words but I think that was the general idea.”

Isaac still can’t believe that Scott went to his ex girlfriend for advice on how to talk to a new potential… whatever. “I can’t kiss you, now. It’s not the right time. It’s just weird.” He pauses for a moment. “And I’ve been running around in the woods for a few hours. I probably smell.”

“I like it, actually,” Scott deliberately sniffs the air in front of him. “That’s how we really met, isn’t it? I was searching for your scent on the lacrosse field. I haven’t forgotten it since.”

Isaac feels a bit guilty. He hadn’t been attracted to Scott since the first time he saw him. Scott was just this annoying wolf that got in the way of the people Isaac considered his new family. It wasn’t until everyone started to show their true colors that he finally realized just how amazing Scott really was. Everything escalated from there. The physical attraction was just a bonus. Instead of saying this, he just gives Scott a cheeky grin, “At least let me brush my teeth.”

Scott laughs, “Oh come on, you’re not a kiss virgin. I saw you at that rave.”

Isaac narrows his gaze, “It’s different when you genuinely like someone.”

Scott stops in his place and stares. He doesn’t speak he just nods and moves out of the way to indicate that Isaac is now allowed to go upstairs and clean himself from the sweat and dirt and grime. Isaac is all the way at the top of the stairs when Scott eventually calls up to him, “I genuinely like you, too, you know!”

Isaac’s heart leaps about in his chest and he grips the handrail hard to keep himself from practically swooning down the stairs.

Scott said it. Isaac said it. They both said it. To each other.

Isaac wants to turn around and fling himself down the stairs directly at Scott’s lips. He even turns around to give Scott the largest smile he can ever remember making. Scott returns it, his eyes sparkling. He then motions frantically for Isaac to hurry up, so Isaac does.

*

Isaac has every intention of taking the shortest shower in all of existence, but once he lets the warm water wash over himself, his mind soars into pleasant territory.

He’s giddy with excitement and practically jumping around in the shower, or at least he would be if there was enough room for such an act. He pours Scott’s body wash over his body and lets the smell seep into his skin. He doesn’t mind replacing the bits of dirt and dead leaves for whatever it was that Scott bought—some store brand of men’s body wash. Isaac doesn’t care. It’s heavenly.

He lets his mind wander to just a few months ago. He was lost. He didn’t know how to control his powers. He was absolutely alone in the world. He had a small pack and they always fought. He didn’t have any friends, even though it seemed like he was promised them.

Now here he was, with a pack that’s pretty much tripled in size—a pack that holds one Scott McCall. The very same Scott McCall that wants to kiss him, that likes him, that goes through all kinds of lovely emotional scents just from being around Isaac. On top of all of it, they’re still friends. He has someone he can talk to. And it’s not just Scott, but there’s Stiles and maybe even Jackson if he’s lucky. Isaac has a roof over his head. He doesn’t live in fear of his father and now school is almost out for the summer and Isaac has his whole life ahead of him.

He almost catches himself saying that everything is perfect. He tries to stop himself from even thinking it to prevent himself from jinxing it. Things are finally going right for once. Isaac just wants to keep it like that, at least for a little while.

The water begins to run a little cold, but Isaac is thankful for it. After what just happened he needs a cold shower more than anything, and he’s pretty much scrubbed himself clean by now. He thought about taking care of the problem while he’s in the shower, but he knows Scott will be able to tell and Isaac has no idea how he’s going to explain that one.

Finally, Isaac pulls himself from the shower. The last thing he needs is to rack up the McCall’s water and heating bills. He dries himself off and wraps a towel around his waist.

The action tugs at something in his brain and he remembers the day he first smelled Scott’s lust. It seems so far away, now, and Isaac replays the memories in his head. It was Isaac Scott had been attracted to. Isaac in just his sweatpants.

Isaac catches his reflection in the mirror and gives himself an evil grin. He should go downstairs in nothing but his towel just to gauge the reaction. Is that even fair? 

As much as he wants to, it might open up an entire can of worms that Isaac isn’t even sure he can handle so he reluctantly changes into the now clean clothes he had left at Scott’s the first time he came to visit—the day he heard Scott on the phone with Allison. The day he asked Scott for help. Had Scott even liked him then? Is that why he’d agreed to teach Isaac? Isaac will have to ask him… one day.

Isaac doesn’t have a toothbrush so he opts for two very stringent uses of mouth wash. He then pads barefoot down the stairs and is greeted with the smell of frozen pizzas coming from the oven. Scott is glancing back and forth from the clock to the back of the pizza box and muttering to himself. If this were any other time, Isaac would fold his arms and watch him from the doorway, but things are different, now. He’s feeling daring after this newfound information.

He tries, as casually as possible, to walk behind Scott and lean over his shoulder. “How much time left on the pizza?” he murmurs low, his mouth just above the top of Scott’s ear. He can feel the heat rising from Scott’s shoulders.

“Uh… I don’t… I don’t know. I didn’t check the time when I put it in... I think… maybe five minutes ago? Seven?”

Isaac reaches around Scott to take the pizza box from his hands, taking extra care to make sure he brushes against Scott lightly. If Scott is going to complain about Isaac not making any steps, then Isaac is going to tease the hell out of Scott just to get back at him. “Hmm…” He takes a step back to examine the back of the box. “We’ll just check every few minutes to see if it’s done. No biggie.”

“Yeah…” Scott says. He sounds distant. Isaac lowers the pizza box to look at him and he’s turned around, now, just staring. Isaac raises an eyebrow.

“Something wrong?”

“You’re wearing my body wash,” Scott says intelligently.

Isaac sniffs his arm. “So I am,” he grins a little. “I used it the last time I took a shower here, too, remember?”

“I do,” Scott’s arms twitch and he steals a glance at Isaac’s lips and Isaac knows Scott wants to kiss him but he’s holding back. Isaac doesn’t know why he can’t just take the plunge and kiss Scott himself, but he’s holding back, too. It finalizes everything. He knows once he starts he’ll wolf out again and Scott will be the one shoving him off. Isaac doesn’t want to have to deal with that.

They make small talk and check on the food periodically. When Isaac finally deems the pizza finished, they hardly allow it any time to cool before they’re stuffing their faces. Isaac hasn’t realized just how famished he has become after his episode that afternoon. Scott didn’t get a chance to eat either because he was out looking for Isaac, so between the two of them, they finish two whole frozen pizzas and an entire plastic jug of juice.

Eventually, the tension dissipates between them, but only enough to make the rest of the night seem normal. Isaac doesn’t ask where Melissa is. He just assumes she’s at work. Instead of holing themselves up in Scott’s bedroom, they stay downstairs on the couch. There’s no video game console on the main floor, but Scott has opted to put in a movie, instead.

“I need to veg out,” he explains. “After this week I just need to stare at something and not worry about campers or snipers or lag.”

Isaac gives in a little too quickly. It’s a sort of unspoken direction between the two of them as they sit together on the couch. Scott lounges at one end in what is probably his usual spot and he keeps one arm open. Isaac crawls into the open space without a second thought all but nuzzling his head into Scott’s chest. Even though Scott is shorter when the two of them are standing next to each other, Isaac prefers it like this. He’s usually ducking his head to feel at the same level as Scott, but lying on the couch like this makes them equals.

In no time at all, the calming rhythm of Scott’s breathing soothes Isaac in a way that places him in a half-asleep stupor. The warmth seeping up from Scott’s chest is comforting and his heartbeat is so loud Isaac can’t even hear what is going on in the movie they put in.

Isaac only knows it’s a comedy because every so often Scott laughs and places a hand around Isaac’s side, tugging him closer.

It is with a reluctant heart that Isaac realizes Scott is used to this. How many times has he snuggled with Allison like this? Did they ever get the chance? Isaac hopes he’s not filling a hole. No, he knows he’s not. The last thing he needs to do is convince himself he’s not good enough for everything good that is finally happening to him. He doesn’t have the energy to deal with his own self degradation. He wants to enjoy this moment and every moment that comes after it.

Isaac doesn’t realize he’s dozing until the credits roll. The music makes a sudden crescendo and it causes Isaac’s eyes to jerk open. Scott is lazily drawing wavy lines and circles on Isaac’s side that make his skin shiver.

“Tired?” Scott asks, his voice low.

“Mm…” Isaac answers, shifting a little on top of Scott. He’s so relaxed on him and so warm that he doesn’t want to get up because he knows he’ll feel cold and empty. “I’ll get up in a minute. Let me stay for a few more seconds.”

Scott laughs. The action forces Isaac’s head to bob on his chest but he doesn’t mind. “I don’t want you to get up, either, but my leg is falling asleep.”

Isaac groans and moves from his position. He’s right. Even though it’s not cold in Scott’s house, the temperature change from Scott’s body to the open air is drastic enough for Isaac to hate it. Scott removes his leg from under Isaac and stands up, shaking the blood back into it to get his circulation going again. Isaac uses this chance to yawn a bit and stretch, forcing himself to wake up slowly. He looks up at Scott with sleepy eyes and Scott is looking down at him.

Then the air between them changes. It’s like a switch has been flipped and Isaac doesn’t know what’s going on. Scott gives Isaac such an intense look that Isaac doesn’t know what to do with it. There’s fondness and admiration but also attraction and lust and need and Scott’s jaw clenches and his heart rate picks up—just to solidify Isaac’s assumptions.

“Scott?” Isaac says. He’d meant his tone to be questioning, but his voice is gravelly from not having used it for a while and it comes out low and sultry and way huskier than he could ever do purposely. 

Scott makes a noise so close to a dog’s whine it actually concerns Isaac a little. He shifts on his feet and then says, “Screw it.”

Werewolf reflexes are nothing to joke about. Half the time, even a werewolf cannot always predict the moves of another of their kind. Isaac is barely able to blink before Scott is suddenly centimeters from his face. Both his arms are resting on the back of the couch on either side of Isaac’s head, effectively surrounding him. In a split second, Isaac remembers what Scott said before about meeting halfway, so Isaac only has that moment in time to act.

Scott gives that moment to him by hesitating only a fraction. He hovers over Isaac, testing the water and Isaac uses that to pull Scott down to him the rest of the way, pressing their mouths together.

Isaac’s hands are fisted in Scott’s shirt trying to tug him closer. With Scott leaning over the couch, it’s an awkward kiss, but Isaac is insistent and Scott eventually allows his knees to buckle and he climbs onto Isaac’s lap. The hands that were on the back of the couch now dig themselves into Isaac’s curls with such enthusiasm that Isaac gasps.

Scott uses that gasp to keep Isaac’s lips parted. Up until that time, Isaac was keeping his mouth shut, just allowing pressure to keep him at bay, but now there’s no holding back.

Isaac’s hands move from the front of Scott’s shirt to his back, bunching up the material as he goes so he can get to the caramel skin underneath. It’s still warm to the touch after laying on the couch for so long. It warms Isaac’s fingertips. He can’t allow himself to devote too much brainpower to his hands, however, because Scott’s mouth is keeping him busy.

Kissing Scott McCall is better than any fantasy Isaac could think up. He tastes like the juice they’d had earlier and his lips are far softer than Isaac thought they’d be. Then Scott is sucking on Isaac’s bottom lip and Isaac can feel his own arousal straining against the fabric of his pants. With Scott sitting on him like this, there’s no way he can hide it, and the urge to thrust upward is almost as bad as bloodlust on the night of the full moon.

Isaac has no idea how long they stay like that, just kissing and touching each other. Isaac manages to palm and explore every part of Scott’s back and sides, and takes his time tasting the insides of Scott’s mouth, running his tongue along Scott’s lips and allowing their tastes to mingle together.

He’s drowning in a sea of emotions and physical sensations. A part of him wants to grab a hold of Scott’s hips and just thrust upward until he’s satisfied, but another part of him—a much stronger part, wants to break the kiss and just scent.

Isaac knows Scott doesn’t like the lycanthropy. He knows from the conversation they had a while back that Scott is just now coming to terms with his condition and learning to make it work for him. Scott has spent so much time refusing to let the wolf get the better of him, that he’s so much better at holding it back than Isaac is. Isaac relishes in his gift. He finds he likes the wolf side of him so much better than the human side. The wolf is stronger. The wolf has more instincts. The wolf knows what it’s doing.

So Isaac lets the wolf have control. His wolf breaks the kiss with Scott, leaving him panting beautifully. Isaac doesn’t stop to take in the sight because he immediately buries his face in Scott’s neck. As he runs his nose up and down Scott’s jaw, neck, ear and shoulder, he chases the trail with his tongue and a few kisses. He’s not sure why, but Scott’s scent is stronger here, and Isaac wants to breathe in all of it.

Scott’s scent fills him in a way he’s never felt before. It’s a bit like taking a cold drink of water first thing in the morning and feeling the liquid reach the stomach, coating it. The heady scent rushes through Isaac’s entire being, giving him strength and a strange almost vibrating sensation. He holds completely still for a second, letting the tingling feeling take over.

“Isaac?” Scott’s voice sounds far away. Isaac wants to claw his way to the surface of his thoughts just to get to it. “Isaac, your ears…”

Isaac knows he’s wolfing out. He’s given it too much control and he’s shifting again. Then there’s a warm stripe of something wet tracing the outline of his pointed ears and Isaac’s shivers start up once more. Scott’s breath is quick and loud in his ear. Isaac can feel the last shreds of control slipping. When he feels the light grazing of Scott’s teeth on the outer shell of his ear, he loses it. He grips Scott hard, his claws coming out to dig into flesh and to bite back a loud howl, he clamps his teeth down hard on Scott’s shoulder.

Scott cries out in pain, but the cry lasts only a second before it turns into the howl that Isaac was trying to keep under wraps. Hearing it pulls Isaac from whatever trance he’s in and he looks down at the wound he’d made. Instinct tells him to lap at the bite until it heals. With Isaac as only a beta and Scott as his alpha, surely the bite will heal quickly and Isaac is glad to see that it does.

“I’m sorry,” he murmurs into Scott’s shoulder, nuzzling the healing skin. “I don’t think I can control myself like this. I didn’t want to hurt you.”

“It’s okay,” Scott reassure him, petting back his curls. He tugs them a bit to get Isaac to look up at him. Both of them are human. “I always ran away whenever I got that far. I… I think I wanted to see what would happen if I didn’t run.”

“Oh?”

“No! No, not like that! I mean… I wanted this to happen, trust me. This was… just… you’re so… Wow.” Scott is grinning like his old self and Isaac just wants to kiss him again, but he doesn’t want it to escalate so quickly into what just happened.

“Yeah,” Isaac repeats. “Wow.” He continues to let his eyes drift to the spot on Scott’s shoulder where he bit him. There’s blood on his shirt and Isaac frowns. “I think I ruined your shirt, though.”

Scott twists his head to see, exposing the other side of his neck and Isaac reels in the untouched skin. “Oh,” Scott says, “Yeah… I guess this is a sleep shirt, now.” He moves a hand up to hold his shirt and get a better view, but Isaac’s eyes are still trained on the exposed side of Scott’s neck.

Before he can tell himself to stop, Isaac attacks the open skin with his mouth. He’s tasting Scott, now, dragging his tongue in a wet stripe up to the bottom of Scott’s ear. Scott lets out a gasp of surprise and, “Isaac, what’re you do--?” 

Isaac hums a bit in the back of his throat and grins resting his cheek on Scott’s. “I can’t help it. You smell so good.”

“I do?” Scott’s voice is in his ear again and Isaac can feel him inhale deeply. “You’re the one that smells awesome. I can’t think straight around you.”

“Obviously,” Isaac jokes.

Scott growls and then uses his werewolf strength to shove Isaac to the side, pinning him to the couch cushions. He’s still straddling Isaac, but now he has to place his body on top of Isaac’s to get close to him. Isaac opens his mouth to gasp or to laugh or do something, but then Scott’s nose is at the hollow of his neck and he shuts his mouth entirely.

“Oh my god,” Scott says, scenting his way down to Isaac’s collarbone. He has to tug at the collar of Isaac’s shirt to get there and Isaac rethinks his decision to put on clothes after the shower. “This is amazing,” he comments.

And then he’s moved down further to lift up Isaac’s shirt and smells his chest and sides and armpits and stomach. The tickle of Scott’s nose and chin make Isaac squirm under him and the occasional kiss makes him twitch to the point that it’s almost embarrassing.

“Scott,” Isaac pleads. He doesn’t even know what he’s pleading for, just that he feels the need to do it. 

Each time Scott sweeps lower and lower with his scenting and kisses, Isaac grows more and more nervous. He’s fine with kissing and scenting, but he’s not sure how he feels about either of them doing anything else as awesome as it sounds.

“Isaac,” Scott breathes, his words are hot on his waistband. Isaac’s arousal is straining so hard against his pants it hurts. Scott eyes it for a second, and Isaac lifts his head a little to catch the same worry in Scott’s eyes. There’s want… but it’s unsure.

“Hey, come here,” Isaac says eventually, finding the motivation to bring his hands up and run them through Scott’s fine, dark hair. Scott travels up the length of Isaac’s pale body and their lips meet again in long, lazy kisses. Tongues dart in and out and twist around each other and hands move to now slightly familiar territory. 

Isaac is content with just kissing Scott on the couch like this, their bodies close together and their arms around each other.

The sound of a key in the lock jolts the two of them out of their reverie. They stare at each other wide-eyed for a second before Scott leaps off of Isaac and retreats to the other side of the couch just as the front door opens.

Melissa enters quietly, a little stooped over, but then she sees the two of them on the couch and the DVD menu screen still running on the television. She stops trying to be quiet. “You two are still up? It’s three in the morning.”

“What? No it’s not,” Scott says, a little out of breath. He reaches down onto the coffee table for his cell and checks the time. His eyes widen slightly. “Holy crap.”

“We just lost track of time, Mrs. McCall,” Isaac says politely. He’s very, very thankful that Melissa can’t smell what he can smell and that the couch is facing away from the front door, so she can really only see their heads.

Melissa frowns a little, “I know finals are over, but that’s no reason to stay up all night. Go to bed.” Her voice is a little uncertain, like she knows she hasn’t gotten the full story.

“Yeah,” Scott waves her off, “We’ll go to bed right now. Uh, Isaac can stay over, right?”

“I can’t send him home right now, can I?” Melissa says, making her way to the stairs. “I’m going to bed. It was a long shift. You two better be asleep in the next half hour, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Yes, Mrs. McCall.”

They watch her go upstairs in silence. When they hear the soft click of her bedroom door, they simultaneously let out a breath. Isaac looks to Scott, a nervous laugh threatening to break free. “Do you think she noticed?”

Scott shakes his head, but then he pauses and shrugs a little. “I don’t know. She has that look like she suspects something but then again, I think she always has that look.”

Isaac lets the laugh he’s been holding in break free. Together they stand up. Isaac fights back a groan. Mrs. McCall’s sudden arrival had spurred a quick fight or flight response in him that caused his erection to wane. He can think a little clearer, now, but at the expense of a dull ache in his groin. He had been so turned on, he’d leaked a little, but it wasn’t enough to relieve any tension. Even if he does take care of the situation, the blood will have to return to a softening member and the quick release and strain won’t actually ease the pain at all. Not to mention, with Melissa in the house, he is afraid to even do anything.

Now he has to make it through the night with blue balls and suddenly everything sucks.

Scott turns off the television and DVD player and Isaac throws away the trash from dinner and together they trudge a little bow-legged up the stairs. In spite of everything, they laugh about it in only a way two guys can. Isaac is suddenly very thankful he fell for Scott out of all people. Girls wouldn’t understand. They’d probably find the situation gross and uncomfortable.

Once in Scott’s room, they strip down to their boxers and Scott exchanges his ruined shirt for a clean one. They curl up together under the covers in one fluid motion. There is no accidental bumping of chins or elbows. Scott simply opens his arms up and Isaac backs into them, closing his eyes and taking pleasure in Scott hugging him from behind.

“You know…?” Scott says suddenly, his breath tickling the back of Isaac’s neck. Isaac gives a small response in return to let Scott continue. “I can’t believe I thought this would be weird. The only weird part is how not weird it really is.”

Isaac chuckles a bit. He brings up one of Scott’s hands to his lips and holds his knuckles to his mouth as he speaks. “I didn’t think it would be weird. I thought it would never happen. I was fully prepared to live with unrequited feelings.”

“Thank you for letting me come to terms with it on my own, then,” Scott says quietly. “It’s been a… really strange journey.”

“I can imagine,” Isaac murmurs against Scott’s knuckles. “Do you know when you’ll tell your mom about us?”

Scott laughs quietly, kicking at the back of Isaac’s legs in mock punishment. “I just came to terms with this myself, how do you think my mom will react?”

“I don’t know which is worse,” Isaac muses, deep in thought. “The fact that I’m a guy, or a werewolf.”

“So far, both of those options don’t bother me as much as I thought they would. Huh.” Scott is quiet for a moment, like he’s having a small revelation about himself. Isaac lets him think happily. To him, it doesn’t matter if it took Scott years to come to the realization that they should be together, just that he came to that conclusion.

One step at a time. They need to come to terms with each other first before they take any more major steps. The pack has to be okay with them. Scott’s mother has to be okay with them. There’s a long and difficult road ahead, but Isaac knows that whatever happens, so long as Scott is with him, they’ll be okay. Scott saved him, after all.

Derek may have given him the gift, but Scott is the one who perfected it.

“Go to sleep.”

“Hah. Night, Isaac.”

“Good night, Scott.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Rating does go up in this chapter.

Chapter Eight

How Scott and Isaac manage to keep things a secret is beyond Isaac.

He’s certain they smell like each other. Isaac can smell himself all over Scott. Surely someone will notice?

But no one says anything.

Erica’s gaze constantly shifts between the two of them and Boyd clams up whenever they’re in the room together. Since the problem with the alphas is on a slight hiatus, Jackson doesn’t come around Happy Meadows anymore. And as for Peter, he always gives the two of them a sly smile like he knows something, but he has yet to actually bring it up.

Isaac suspects it has something to do with Scott being an alpha. Without Scott’s official approval, no one can say anything.

Even, as it turns out, Derek. Derek is the only one who gives any indication that he knows what’s going on. When Isaac came home after that amazing night with Scott, Derek recoiled for a second in surprise. Then he gave a grunt of approval and a look that definitely said, “About time,” and went about his business. He looked a little sad, but Isaac couldn’t quite place why. He assumes he imagined it.

With finals over, school comes to an uneventful end. It’s the end of their sophomore year. They’re considered upperclassmen, now. Supposedly this is a big change, but Isaac doesn’t feel any different. 

Scott and Isaac take great care not to spend too much time in each other’s beds. The temptation to go further is too great. They only really get any alone time when Melissa is out at work and they commandeer Scott’s couch. They don’t kiss at the townhome. They don’t even hold hands there. It’s still awkward for them. Isaac doesn’t think it’ll be that big of a deal when they finally come out, but Scott is still worried.

Apparently, because he’d been so head over heels for Allison, he’s had to deal with the repercussions of that with Stiles. Now that the two of them are more open, Isaac learns everything that’s been going on in Scott’s head.

Scott feels guilty about all the times he missed out on either saving Stiles or hanging out with him because he was so caught up with Allison. He doesn’t want to do that to Stiles again. In fact, he was so worried about Stiles freaking out about Scott’s falling for Isaac, that he deliberately avoided Isaac for a long time.

Isaac frowns and shoves Scott a little at this revelation. They’re sitting on the floor of Scott’s room, casually playing some Halo. Although, it only seems casual. Every time Isaac so much as glances slightly into Scott’s direction, his insides twist up in the worst form of butterflies imaginable. At this point, he’s astonished that he can even speak properly. “I was going crazy without you. I wondered why we couldn’t at least be friends. I thought I scared you off.”

“Sort of…” Scott admits. “I couldn’t handle what I was feeling so I kind of took a page from Stiles’ book and avoided it.”

“Ah,” says Isaac, understanding. “But you won’t avoid it anymore, right?”

“Right,” Scott grins and finishes their conversation by killing an opposing team member and jumping up and down on their corpse before they respawn.

In spite of Scott wanting to spend more time with Stiles, the opposite is actually true. Stiles, of all people, makes up excuses left and right on why he can’t hang out. He apparently got bad grades at the end of the school year and has been grounded, even though Isaac knows this to be a flat out lie. His father has supposedly been cracking down on the amount of time Stiles has to do chores lately, too.

Isaac’s phone is filled with rejection texts from Stiles. He knows he should be upset that Stiles doesn’t want to hang out, but the result of being blown off is that he gets to spend more alone time with Scott, which is always a plus.

When Scott and Isaac aren’t at Scott’s place, they’re at the Beacon hills clinic or the lacrosse field, just practicing. Isaac is glad they can still be friends around each other in public. Friends that just so happen to be fond of kissing each other. Constantly.

And yet, Lacrosse practice usually ends with the two of them making some purposely touchy tackles and involves more laughter than should be allowed. Isaac will take what he can get.

*

Now that Erica and Boyd are steadily getting back up to their full strength, training has taken on a whole new meaning.

The pack always heads to the preserve to train. It’s isolated out there on the Hale property. Now that there are more wolves in the pack, they can undergo proper training techniques. Even Jackson joins the pack at regularly scheduled sessions so long as Lydia can make it. He is never denied her presence. Lydia proves to be a valuable member of the pack. She’s just as smart, if not smarter, than Stiles.

Life, if anything, resumes at what Isaac can only describe as a normal pace. The alpha pack is not gone, but their presence has certainly backed off for the time being. It’s mid-June, now, and the wolves are all thinking of more pressing matters, like pool parties at Lydia’s house or trips to amusement parks. As much as the Hales try to keep the minds of the pack in one spot, it’s impossible to get teenagers to think of much else.

Werewolves run hotter than humans, Isaac finds. Making it through the winter was a piece of cake, but now that the blistering summer sun beats down on him during outdoor practice sessions, he finds he sweats more. Clothes quickly become sticky and a hassle, especially during training. It is not uncommon for Stiles and Lydia to drive off in the Jeep only to return with popsicles to help cool down the wolves, so Derek sends them off for some refreshments.

With the humans gone, complete shifting is a must. If any of the wolves loses control, at least there are no humans around to tempt the bloodlust. Derek is testing for speed and agility today—much like the obstacle courses he used to construct in the railroad depot. This time, he’s laid out a course through the preserve with various obstacles in the way.

Their task is simple—to go out and retrieve an item by scent. Peter chose the items so they’re all obscure things like pumpkin candles or an open tube of Icy Hot. They’re easy to track once the foreign smell is identified. What makes it difficult is that each wolf has to race to the item and make it back to the Hale house before their opponent.

Winners are granted a short respite. Losers must clear debris from inside the Hale house. With no power inside and therefore no working AC, the wood doesn’t really create a very cool environment. If anything, it’s even hotter in the house.

Boyd and Jackson go first. Boyd removes his shirt before he gets himself ready for the shift. Jackson gives him a solid glare and removes his shirt as well. Erica’s eyes widen and she looks to Scott and Isaac with her jaw open and her thumb toward them. Isaac gives her a weak smile mostly because he has no idea what kind of reaction she wants from him.

The two wolves bound into the woods when Derek gives the signal and after a few sharp snarls, they’re gone completely. It’s quiet, so Isaac kicks a few stones around, trying to get them lodged into the trunks of nearby trees.

“Who wants to race me?” Erica asks, pulling her hair back into a ponytail. 

“I will,” Isaac says quickly. He doesn’t want to race Scott. It’s not a matter of competition or accidentally letting him win—it’s more a problem of having his wolf and Scott’s wolf run together. So far, the two of them have been able to keep each other at bay, but if either one of them starts to shift, things get complicated. The last thing Isaac needs right now is to pounce on Scott in the middle of the woods and have to explain torn clothing to the rest of the pack. No, racing Erica was a great idea.

Even Scott looks a little relieved. “I have to run against Derek, anyway. His idea. Alpha and alpha and all,” he shrugs a bit.

“Do we have to make a big show out of taking off our shirts?” Isaac asks, cringing a little.

Erica laughs, “It’s hot enough. I’m about to. I’m not going to die of a heat stroke just because the world is afraid of breasts.”

“Well, if you’re doing it, I’ll do it. I’m drenched in sweat already.” Isaac pulls his shirt collar forward to look down at his bare chest and frowns. “I wonder if werewolves get sunburn.”

“I don’t think so,” Scott says and then tugs at Isaac’s shirt. “Come on, Isaac, take it off.” If Isaac didn’t like Scott so much, he’d punch the smirk off his smug face.

Isaac opens his mouth up to retaliate only to find that Scott has already taken off his shirt and tossed it over the porch railing. He’s grinning wildly, but Isaac is only just barely registering it. Scott’s torso is completely even colored. It’s not fair. Isaac’s fair skin gives his chest the impression that it doesn’t know if it wants to be white or tan or pink, but Scott’s is perfect and Isaac just wants to reach out and touch it.

He’s seen glimpses in the locker room from lacrosse, but it’s nothing compared to now. Isaac now has the memory of how that skin feels under his fingers, his lips, his tongue. He knows Scott’s scent. He knows how to make Scott’s scent turn sweeter and delicious and full of arousal.

Oh God, he really doesn’t want to take his shirt off, now. He would much rather pull his shirt down to hide a growing problem—and right in front of Erica, too.

Erica is no fool. Her eyes glint with knowing, but she still doesn’t do or say anything about it. Instead, she helps Scott tug at the shirt. “Come on, Isaac. All the cool kids are doing it,” she says in a mocking tone. Isaac snaps his head in her direction, glaring as much as he can but it’s lost on her. She smiles in that evil way she has and runs her tongue along the edges of her teeth.

“Erica,” he says, knowing that even if he whispered, Scott could still hear. “You’re not helping.”

“Not trying to,” Erica gives his shirt one last tug before giving up and taking a few steps back. She sweeps her shirt off in one quick swoop, revealing the sports bra underneath. “Come on, scaredy. It’s almost our turn, anyway.”

Isaac wants to look at Erica just to keep his eyes away from Scott, but with Erica in only a bra, he feels like he shouldn’t be staring and he realizes right away that it’s a trap she’s concocted. She really doesn’t give two shits about being shirtless or not—but she knows the other members of the pack respect her enough not to make a big deal. Now Isaac is caught in the trap of where to look and how to look and he really would just like to take his shirt and pull it up over his head and cover his eyes and walk into a tree.

There’s a commotion in the distance that indicates Boyd and Jackson are almost back with their item. Derek barks out an order from his spot in the yard and Isaac doesn’t quite catch it until Scott prods him.

“Isaac,” he says, placing a hand on Isaac’s shoulder and all but forcing Isaac to turn and face him. “Good luck.”

“Thanks,” Isaac sighs, the corner of his mouth turning up a little. 

They both make awkward movements toward each other like they want to hug or kiss or handshake or just do something, but in the end Scott just grips Isaac’s upper arm like they’re in some gladiator movie. Isaac only nods and turns to go take his place by Erica, but he stops and quickly lifts his shirt off. He wads it into a clumsy ball and wordlessly stuffs it at Scott’s chest. 

Scott takes the shirt and gives Isaac a look filled with something so awestruck that Isaac really can’t be within a three mile radius of Scott at the moment, so he dashes to Erica’s side to get his head out of the clouds. He needs a clear mind so he can shift properly—and to ignore the bloodlust working in the back of his mind, or more recently, just the lust.

The moment Jackson and Boyd burst in from the woods with Jackson carrying the tube of Icy Hot, Derek gives the go ahead for Isaac and Erica to launch.

Isaac gives himself a mental, “Thank god,” before he explodes into the woods, creating as much distance between himself and Scott as he can.

He forgets why he’s there. He forgets the lesson plan and objective and everything. At the moment, the only thing running through Isaac’s mind is the image of Scott’s naked torso pressing against his. Not even the rush of cool air over his perspiring chest can help clear his mind.

The preserve doesn’t go on forever. It ends eventually, but Isaac hasn’t reached that end, yet. He has enough mental capacity to keep himself from populated areas but he can’t go back to the Hale house. Not yet. Not while he’s burning this hot.

Isaac doesn’t stop running until he reaches a creek. He has no concept of time, so he’s not sure how long he’s been fleeing. He’s worked off a lot of energy, so the creek is an excellent source for a drink. Not even bothering to shift back into human form, Isaac splashes the cool water on his face and neck and chest.

This, at least, has an effect on him, and he’s able to lie in the cool grass beside the bank and catch his breath. He shifts slowly, his teeth and claws shrinking and his face smoothing out. The trees are thinner along the creek and he can see bits of the blue sky through the foliage. It’s quiet out here. Peaceful. No Scott to get under his skin and cause him to go into cardiac arrest.

Speaking of…

An idle hand runs itself down the length of his torso. He feels his chest rise and fall as he continues to let his breathing even, but he makes the mistake of feeling his own naked chest to remind him of Scott’s. The image flashes through his mind again and he groans.

“Are you kidding me?” he says to the trees above him. They don’t answer, so Isaac closes his eyes. If he can’t see them, they can’t see him.

With that in mind, Isaac lets his hand wander down to palm the seat of his jeans. They’re strained and tight from his recent neglect. Who would have thought that running through the woods half naked and fully shifted would do so little to relieve the wonderful erection Scott had given him before he left on his little journey?

There’s a nagging feeling in the back of Isaac’s mind that he should probably head back to the Hale house and not do what he’s really, really thinking of doing, but that feeling is quickly shoved aside in favor of unbuttoning his pants.

He hasn’t done this in a long time. He’s even surprised he’s made it this far with as little Isaac-time as possible. Apparently living in such close quarters with a handful of werewolves made it impossible to take care of himself discreetly. Peter went out nearly every night, Isaac has practically _heard_ Erica and Boyd—and Derek? Derek probably has no sex life for all Isaac knows. It’s either that or Derek takes care of himself in his car. Isaac assumes it’s probably the latter.

But really, Isaac doesn’t want to think about Derek while he’s easing the tension his erection is creating by unzipping his jeans. He’d much rather think about Scott. How has Scott handled this? As Isaac tugs down his boxers and pulls his out his cock he thinks about how many times Scott has had to pull out the tissues and lotion before bed. How many times has Isaac left Scott’s house with the both of them practically staining their jeans with pre-cum?

Isaac moans when he grabs his stiffened member, giving himself a few much-needed strokes. He thinks about how much he would really like to do this to Scott. How it’s not fair that they have to keep everything a secret like this. In the heat of his stroking, he comes to the conclusion that everything is stupid the way it is and that he should just go up to Scott and kiss him senseless just so he can lick him and scent him in the places he really wants to lick and scent.

And it’s really like everyone already knows anyway and just won’t say anything. No one really cares. No one will care that they want to be together. That Isaac really wants to run his tongue along Scott’s inner thighs to taste the flesh there—just to see what kind of difference it makes from his neck and his nipples.

Isaac is stroking faster, now, pumping his hand from base to tip. He stops every so often to work the skin at the tip, pulling it up and over before slamming his hand back down to the base. He flicks his thumb up to swipe at the pre-cum and he knows he’s close. He can feel the buildup and he clenches the muscles in his calves.

Just a few more twists and the stray thought of that night with Scott on top of him on the couch sends Isaac over the edge. He spills himself into his other hand the best he can with a tightened moan. Somewhere, in his heightened state of ecstasy, he’d managed to remind himself that he couldn’t make it back to the Hale house with semen all over his jeans. He would never hear the end of it.

He cleans up the best he can in the creek, hoping that if he rubs a bit of mud into his abdomen he can mask some of the scent.

Shifting is impossible. Isaac can’t get into the right mind for it. He’s mentally and physically exhausted and would like nothing more than to curl up in a pile of grass and sleep, but he knows he needs to get back. Slowly, memory of his task comes back to him and he knows that Erica has probably already found the item and made it back to base. Isaac is already in deep sludge.

He trudges through the woods. The coat of sweat on his body is no longer from exertion but from his worked up arousal. He’s going to be a mess coming back. He wonders if he should even bother with it at all. His phone is back with his things, though, so it’s not like he can call or text to let everyone know where he is.

No, he has to face this. And he has to face this, now.

*

By the time Isaac makes it back to the Hale house, Stiles and Lydia have arrived with popsicles. Boyd, Jackson, Scott and Erica are still shirtless and sitting on the porch with the still-clothed other members of the pack.

“There you are!” Stiles says, waving a purple popsicle around. “You get grape because no one likes that and you’re late.”

“Lahey,” Derek growls, snapping at him. “Where the hell did you go?”

Isaac treads lightly, keeping as much distance as he can between himself and the wolves. He reaches out for his popsicle and holds it close to him. It’s starting to melt through its paper wrapper. “Nice to see no one was worried.”

“You haven’t been gone long enough for us to worry,” Erica says, lazily licking at the base of her popsicle, catching the syrup as it melts and drips. “I watched you run right past the stupid candle. You were ahead of me the whole time. You okay?”

“Yeah,” Isaac says, nodding a little. He’s still trying to wrap his mind around everything, not to mention still trying to stay away. “I guess I don’t have as much control as I thought. That’s why we train, right?”

There’s a general consensus and Isaac sits on the far end of the porch to unwrap his popsicle. Until that point, he’d made a conscious effort not to look at Scott because he knows he’ll just feel guilty. Scott is happily sucking on the tip of his treat and Isaac is very, very thankful he’d just taken care of himself in the woods because he wouldn’t be able to help himself, now. There is absolutely no innocent way to eat a popsicle.

Scott catches Isaac’s eye and mouths, “You okay?” Even though Isaac had just answered the question, he gives Scott a little shrug.

Really? No one notices? No one can smell the self love Isaac just poured all over himself? Surely creek mud isn’t that potent. Everyone must be ten times more considerate of a secret than Isaac ever thought possible.

Just as Scott finishes his treat and is about to make his way to Isaac, he’s stopped by Derek who wants to get ready for their training exercise. It seems like he’s been waiting for something like this for a long time, so Scott goes with him to prepare. Isaac lets out a sigh of relief. This should give him enough time to hide his scent more. Just in case they really haven’t figured it out, yet.

Peter suddenly appears out of nowhere, arms folded and grim. “House cleaning time, Cinderella,” he says, handing him a broom. “Too bad we can’t just use your head for a mop. Maybe a duster for the cobwebs.”

Isaac lets out a cheap _ha ha_ as he takes the broom from Peter’s grasp and joins Boyd inside to start their punishment for losing. To Isaac, it’s not really a punishment. He’s wanted to take a broom to the house for weeks, especially while he lived there. In fact, he starts with the stairs, knowing it will kick up enough dust to hopefully give him a thin coat of filth. 

He’s about halfway down the stairs when he hears Boyd’s over exaggerated coughing and stops to glare at him.

“I don’t think you’re actually cleaning anything,” Boyd deadpans.

Isaac looks at his recently swept steps and shrugs, “Cleaning is really just moving the mess elsewhere, right? I’m just going from top to bottom.”

“Just don’t move your mess into anything I’ve just cleaned. I don’t want to be here all night,” Boyd remarks. He heads far away from Isaac and his dust cloud. Isaac watches him go with a satisfied smirk Everything went better than expected.

Isaac finishes the stairs faster than he thought it would. The pile at the bottom is massive. Who knew that much dust and debris could accumulate on one stairwell? Isaac contemplates briefly on sweeping it into a corner or under a rug, but the corners are in need of a good sweeping as well and there are no rugs. Did Peter even provide trashcans? He sighs loudly.

Boyd then comes in from what used to be the kitchen carrying a trash bag. “Looking for this?” he says, exactly as if he’s read Isaac’s mind. 

Together they fill the bag with the pile of mayhem at the foot of the stairs. It’s not until they’re finished and Boyd is tying off the bag and hauling it off to the side that Isaac realizes just how little time he gets to spend with Boyd. In fact, he doesn’t really even know all that much about him. Isaac was so worried about his friends being taken by the alpha pack that he didn’t even stop to consider how horrible of a friend he must seem to them.

“Hey, so…” Isaac blurts out just as Boyd returns again with an empty trash bag. “I never really… had the chance to ask, but… you’re okay, right? I mean, it’s been a little while, now and I’m sorry I’ve been a little preoccupied, but I just wanted to know.” He looks at Boyd’s varying expressions and then hastily begins sweeping at the cobwebs in the corners of the front room.

Boyd is silent behind him, but Isaac doesn’t want to turn around to see the reason.

Eventually, he speaks, his voice low, but calm. “I’m not okay.”

Isaac pauses with the broom in the air, halfway to the ceiling so he can get the upper corners as well. He doesn’t know what to say but it’s okay because Boyd continues for him.

“I see them when I close my eyes. I can still hear them. You don’t go through something like that and just expect to be just fine once you’ve had food again.” There’s some movement behind him and Isaac dares to look only to see Boyd is moving some of the larger and splintered beams off to one side of the room. He sets down his pile, causing a cloud of dust and ash to rise up. “I had a lot of time to myself being locked up over there. I learned a lot of things.”

Isaac waves a hand briefly in front of his face, fanning the cloud of dust away as it makes its way toward him. “Like what?”

“Like who I can trust with my life.”

Boyd’s words cut through Isaac like a spear. He snaps around to look at Boyd and can only take a wild guess at the look of horror on his own face. “I wanted to find you!” he finds himself blurting out excuses before he can stop himself. “Derek said we shouldn’t. I couldn’t just start looking. I wasn’t strong enough, I… I tried, I—“

“Isaac,” Boyd shakes his head slowly. “Don’t worry about it.”

“No,” Isaac stands firm. “I know what it looks like. I didn’t forget about you. I started working with Scott—to learn how to become a better wolf. I asked Derek if we could look for you. I convinced Jackson to join the pack. I thought we were going to have to sniff them out, break in and save you two. I didn’t know they were going to… to mess with us like that.”

“Really, Lahey,” Boyd says, using his surname to make his point carry more weight. “It’s okay. I could tell. When they forced me to track Erica and I saw you that night, I knew.”

“What about Derek? And Peter? And Scott? And… Jackson?”

“I don’t owe Jackson or Peter anything. I knew Derek wouldn’t do anything about it. He made it clear we were not a part of the pack when we chose to leave. But Scott?”

Isaac cringes, “What about him?”

“He was my voice, do you remember? He didn’t want me to turn. And yet he didn’t lift a finger while we were gone.”

“He’s been teaching me, though.”

“Did he start that on his own?”

“Well, no. I asked him, but he went to Dr. Deacon… and the Argents.”

At the mention of the Argents, Boyd’s face freezes and goes slack. Isaac feels like he’s accidentally stepped on a landmine. “Boyd?” he asks after a while.

“No slacking. We have things to do, remember?” Boyd snaps, hastily changing the subject.

Isaac frowns, but turns back to sweeping cobwebs. Boyd doesn’t say anything else for a long time. Isaac wonders what could have possibly happened to make the stoic and strong Vernon Boyd lose his cool like that. He was willing to talk about what happened with the alpha pack, but not about the Argents? What did they do?

“Boyd…”

Boyd rounds on him. “When you take a step back and just watch everyone the way I do, you see things. When Scott becomes obsessed with something, nothing else in the world matters. Nothing,” he snaps.

That isn’t anything new. Isaac opens his mouth to say this but Boyd stops him again, his voice softer this time. “Just be careful, Lahey.”

There is a loud commotion outside and the unmistakable sound of Peter’s laugh grows steadily louder until the front door opens with a loud bang. The removal of the barrier only grants more volume to Peter’s loud guffaws. “I should have put money on this outcome!”

Isaac looks up to see Scott nonchalantly walking into the Hale house. He looks beat from running in the woods, but otherwise unharmed. “He’s been a wolf his entire life. What did he expect?” Scott grumbles, slamming the door behind him, muffling the snickers from outside. He sees the two of them inside and gives a big smile to Isaac. Boyd’s presence is all but ignored; which Isaac takes note of this time. Boyd gives him an eyebrow raise as if to say, _See?_. 

Even though he returns the smile to Scott, he knows exactly what Boyd is talking about, now. Isaac has somehow become Scott’s new Allison. While that in itself is a very flattering prospect for Isaac, it’s not a very happy one for the rest of the team. Scott is weaker when he’s smitten like this. He doesn’t make the best judgments. He overreacts to some situations and under reacts to others.

Did Isaac attribute to Scott’s general lack of usual concern for the safety of their pack members? As an alpha this is a problem. Scott needs the trust of the entire pack and he can’t get it if he’s going to be ignoring them in favor of being with Isaac.

Even now, Scott is padding over to Isaac, just to hover. It makes a knot slowly form in Isaac’s stomach and his nerves stand at attention. He doesn’t know how to bring this up to Scott, especially with Boyd in the room and the rest of the pack just outside. He doesn’t want it to escalate into anything he can’t handle. He needs to speak to Scott privately.

Until then, he needs to act normal, which turns out to be a very easy thing to do. Scott, as it just so happens, wants nothing more than to just hang around Isaac in the house, even if it means clearing out debris. Isaac even suspects he threw the race with Derek just to get some alone time, but he doesn’t bring it up at the risk of sounding conceited. Derek leads the group outside, while Scott sort-of leads the group inside. It’s not so bad. Boyd takes the orders Scott gives him seriously, which Isaac takes as a good sign at least.

Eventually, Scott declares their efforts good enough, and they go outside where the rest of the pack has been lounging, enjoying their earned respite. The hood of the Camaro is open and Jackson and Derek are standing over the engine, talking about the parts inside while Stiles hovers behind them, hanging onto each word as if learning about how to fix an alternator is his life goal. The smell of nail polish wafts over from the side of the porch where Eric and Lydia are wiggling their newly painted toes. Peter is gone, which comes as no surprise.

Once they rejoin their pack mates, the group immediately pairs off and dissipates after Derek says a few choice words. They’re the same parting words he says after every meeting and Isaac ignores them like the school announcements in the morning. Derek takes Erica home in the Jeep but makes Stiles take Boyd mostly because he’s covered in dust and Derek doesn’t want the seats of his precious car to suffer. Jackson and Lydia leave in Jackson’s Porsche and that leaves Scott and Isaac to head back to Scott’s place in his beat-up old car with the missing mirror.

Every mile they put behind them is another mile where Isaac’s mirth slowly transforms into dread.

*

Isaac thanks the ceiling that Melissa is home. They give each other quick greetings before she all but begs for Isaac to take a shower before ruining any of her furniture. She then lets Scott know she’ll be using the car tonight and that Isaac will have to find another way home. Scott starts to protest but Melissa gives him a look and his shoulders slump. Isaac doesn’t know how to feel. He wants to spend the night with Scott too, but he also knows he has to keep a little distance—for the pack’s sake.

By the time showers are finished, Melissa has dinner made and Isaac joins in. He’s had dinner with the McCalls several times, now but he still can’t get over the feeling of family he gets just from being there. They’re a small household, and eating dinner on mis-matched plates is the norm, but Isaac loves it. There’s no hostility, especially since Scott managed to pass all his classes, even if someone of them were by a hair.

Once they’ve finished eating, Melissa wipes her mouth and scoots back from the table. “I need to get ready for my shift. Can I trust you boys to clean up?” She eyes Scott more so than Isaac.

“Yeah, yeah,” Scott waves her off. He doesn’t mention that they’ve already spent most of the day cleaning.

Melissa looks to Isaac for confirmation and possibly to plead a little. “Don’t let him make you do all the work.”

“I’ll keep him on his toes, Mrs. McCall,” Isaac says. There’s a kick at his shin from under the table and it only makes him flash Scott’s mom a larger, faker smile.

“Okay,” Melissa says, getting up from the table. “I mean it. I want to come home to a clean kitchen.”

After reassuring her once again, she retreats upstairs. Isaac and Scott help themselves to more lasagna now that she’s gone. Isaac hadn’t wanted to look like a ravenous wolverine in front of Melissa, so he’d held back his appetite, but it looks like Scott did the same thing. They laugh and split the remaining dinner.

“I’ll wash, you rinse, dry and put away?” Isaac asks between mouthfuls.

“Yeah,” Scott confirms offhandedly. “That works. So, hey…” he leans forward, keeping his voice down, in spite of his mother not having super hearing. “Mom won’t be back until like six in the morning. You can stay late.”

“Won’t she know?”

“Not really, no. So long as you’re gone when she gets back, we won’t get in trouble.” Isaac doesn’t miss the ‘we.’ He wants to grin in spite of himself just because he can still get in trouble with Melissa.

“What about sleeping? Won’t you be tired in the morning?”

“Worth it,” Scott smirks.

Isaac can’t help but to smirk right along with him. He can’t ignore the flare up of nerves in his stomach. He’s very glad he’s eaten already because the very thought of food is unsettling. There is absolutely no getting used to being around Scott. “Okay, I’ll stay.”

“Yes!”

They finish dinner with comfortable banter. By the time Melissa comes downstairs all ready and set for work, the two of them are standing in front of the sink, Isaac up to his elbows in suds and Scott rinsing dishes. 

She comes up from behind and plants a kiss on each of their cheeks along with a pat on the shoulder. Isaac warms all the way to his toes. Scott is so lucky to have a mother like Melissa. Isaac’s own mother—no. He’s not going to go there. Not tonight. Each and every time Scott’s mom does something distinctly motherly toward Isaac, his eyes threaten to tear up and he’s hit with a wave of homesickness for his mother, but he really doesn’t want to go there, tonight. “Bye, boys.”

“Bye mom.”

“Bye Mrs. McCall.”

She leaves and locks the door behind her. Once they hear the roar of the engine in the driveway, Scott takes the hose from the sink and sprays the side of Isaac’s face with it.

Isaac jumps, dropping a plate he’d been scrubbing back into the soapy water. With a cry of retaliation, he scoops up a handful of suds and tosses them at Scott’s face where they miss their mark slightly and land on his shoulder.

“Hah!” Scott taunts, brandishing the spray nozzle with both hands like a ray gun from an old science fiction movie. Isaac scoops up another handful of suds and they face each other at a stand-off.

“If you so much as pull that handle, I will rub these suds all over your fresh, clean hair,” Isaac warns.

Scott raises his eyebrows in challenge just as Isaac lifts his hands. Isaac watches as the muscles in Scott’s forearms tense, indicating his move to press down on the nozzle, so he springs into action before Scott can spray him by acting directly on his threat. He mashes his soap-covered hands on top of Scott’s dark hair and rubs the suds around in it for good measure.

Isaac can hear the tiny bubbles popping in Scott’s hair and he smirks madly, effectively making Scott’s hair stand in every direction. He’s about to laugh loudly in his face when a blast of cold water hits his chest, catching him off guard. Isaac shrinks back, pulling his hands away from Scott’s head in the process.

Laughter erupts from Scott’s lips as he waves the spray nozzle around. “Now we’re even.”

“Ugh,” Isaac grunts as he peels the soaked shirt away from his skin. Each time the chilled fabric hits his chest, he shivers against the icy touch so he has to take his shirt off entirely. The only feasible place to set his shirt once he’s taken it off is on Scott’s face so he tosses the soaked garment in that general direction. “That was my only shirt.”

Scott catches it easily and wads it into a ball. “You can borrow one of mine.”

“A bigger one this time?”

“Maybe,” Scott grins. He takes a step closer. His eyes are nowhere near Isaac’s face. Suddenly Isaac feels incredibly self conscious. It’s not like Scott has never seen his chest before, considering what happening during training this afternoon, but there’s a difference between artificial and natural light. In fact, just thinking about training reminds him of what he did in the woods earlier and his heart rate spikes.

Scott’s head twitches to the side a little and Isaac knows he’s picked up on it. Isaac can hear Scott’s heart beat race as well. His pupils dilate. His breathing quickens. Isaac knows he’s undergoing the same symptoms as well.

Isaac backs up a little, his back hitting the sink behind him. “We still have dishes to do.”

“I’ll finish them after you leave,” Scott says, tossing the wadded up shirt he’d been holding behind him.

“Oh, so you’re kicking me out?”

“Not yet.” Scott grins and it’s more playful than predatory. He’s quickly closing the gap between them, raising his head to meet Isaac’s. Isaac wants this. Oh god how he wants this. A moment like this is more than he could ever have hoped for. He didn’t think he’d ever get this far—to the point that he can just kiss Scott whenever he wanted? Oh, sure he’d fantasized about it, but he didn’t think it would actually happen.

Scott wants him. Scott _likes_ him. Scott is looking at him like he wants to do some very, very interesting things despite the fact that Isaac is, well, Isaac. Apparently Scott likes him like he is… however he must seem to him.

And yet, something feels off. Something isn’t quite right. It’s nagging and pressing at the back of Isaac’s mind and it’s enough to make him back away from Scott’s advances. He knows he won’t be able to hold him off for long before he realizes that Isaac isn’t just playing hard to get and that there’s something genuinely strange about this whole thing. 

“Wait. Scott…” Isaac sighs like it’s a reflex and Scott backs off immediately. In fact, he backs off so much he hits the kitchen table with his rear and it scoots an inch across the floor.

“I don’t get you,” Scott says, exasperated. He tries to run a hand through his hair and meets the oil of the soap suds and looks genuinely upset about it. “Everything about you just… it just… I know what I hear, and smell and see and sense and the way you look at me… and then you just, I don’t even know. What the hell, Isaac?”

Isaac slumps against the counter, tasting defeat before he has even begun to fight. “I don’t even know.”

Scott’s face falls in such a way that Isaac’s heart breaks without him realizing that’s exactly what it’s doing. “Do you even like me the way I think you do?” he chokes on the words a little bit, like he’s not sure if he should say them or not, “Or am I just making this all up?”

“You’re not making it up,” Isaac says a little too quickly, trying his hardest to make his eyes look at pleading as possible. He can’t lose Scott, not now, not ever. He just needs to take the time to explain everything properly, not just to Scott, but hopefully to himself at the same time. “I like you, I do.”

“But…” Scott adds for him. He’s still waiting for a rejection, Isaac realizes.

“But I’m worried.” It’s the only thing he can think of at the moment.

“About?”

“About the pack.” This is true, but it’s not the entire truth… hopefully it’s enough to get Isaac by until he really knows how to sort this out. He just needs time to think.

Scott sighs heavily, “The pack isn’t here. It’s just us. We don’t have to hide anything right now. I’m so tired of hiding. Why can’t I fall in love with someone I’m actually _allowed_ to be with?”

Isaac’s breath hitches in his throat. It takes Scott a second to realize what he said and he all but clamps his hand over his mouth in surprise. Isaac doesn’t know what to say so he lets his mouth dangle open for a second until he realizes what he’s doing and closes it.

“It’s too soon, isn’t it,” Scott says with dread. “I know it is. I swear this isn’t a rebound. But this isn’t just some crush Isaac. I don’t just… I don’t just crush on everyone that’s nice to me—let alone a _guy_.”

Isaac is speechless. Scott’s revelation is solid. He’s not taking it back or denying it. He’s explaining himself. Suddenly, Boyd’s words come back to Isaac in a whirlwind of memories. Boyd’s warning makes sense now. Scott fell for Allison hard and fast, and now, it seems, the same is happening with Isaac. 

He wants to take a second and try to see it from Scott’s perspective. Scott had told him he tried to avoid Isaac once he knew what he was feeling. That in itself shows that Scott wanted to make an informed decision before he even tried anything. But now they are here. They are at a junction and Isaac needs to know if he’s going to feel safe enough to board this train with Scott or not.

“You were so in love with Allison,” Isaac says at length, taking time to choose his words carefully. “Everyone knew it. How can I tell you’re not just…” he trails off, knowing what he wants to say, but he’s too afraid to say it out loud.

“Faking it?” Scott finishes for him. Isaac feels terrible for making him say it when he couldn’t. “Isaac,” Scott pushes himself from the table and reaches out to take Isaac’s hand. Stiles would call it a romantically cheesy move, but Isaac can only feel awestruck as Scott carefully guides his palm to his heart. “You can tell if I’m lying. Try me.”

Isaac swallows loudly. It’s too warm in this room, even with his shirt off. Scott’s heart is beating wildly under his palm, but it’s still a steady rhythm. It’s beating hard out of the stress he’s going through. He looks both confident and anxious. It’s a strange combination. “If…” he starts out and has to swallow again because his throat is dry. “If Allison asks for you back… will you go back to her?”

Scott smiles, “She kind of already did.”

Isaac raises his eyebrows in question.

“I told her I would wait for her… and she said she couldn’t make me do that, but I think a part of her was still hoping I would. When I gave her back her things and asked her for advice about you… she knew I wasn’t waiting any more. She cried. Well, no. She didn’t cry. Her eyes got all shiny.”

“She cried? Why?”

Scott shrugged, “How should I know? Girls are a mystery. Maybe she’d rather I pine for the rest of my life.”

“Sounds selfish,” Isaac says. He doesn’t mean it though. He has a feeling he knows why Allison was upset. She probably thought she was going to lose Scott as a friend when all was said and done—because she’d hurt Scott’s new love interest right in front of him. It was, if anything, a guilty conscience. Isaac is fairly pleased about that, and knows that this probably makes him the selfish one.

“Whatever it was, it’s over between me and her. I’m not lying about that,” Scott urges, puffing out his chest to prove his point.

Isaac smiles in spite of himself. It gives him the courage to ask what’s really bothering him. “The pack, though… you won’t ignore them when you’re with me, right? You are their alpha. They look up to you. I don’t want to be responsible for any fights in the group. Everyone is important. We’re a family. We’ve already missed out on helping Erica and Boyd… I don’t want it to happen again.”

Scott deflates a little, mostly out of relief. It’s like he can tell that that was the piece of doubt wedged under Isaac’s fingernails. He’s smiling back. “I promise not to ignore the rest of the pack. In fact, we can both check our phones right now to make sure no one is dying or wondering where we are, okay?”

“Okay,” Isaac agrees. He relinquishes his hand from Scott’s chest and they both dig in their pockets for their phones.

“I’ve got nothing, you?” Scott says, holding up the screen for Isaac to see.

Isaac shows Scott his lack of concerned friends as well. “Nothing.”

“That means,” Scott begins, “that we have a night to ourselves. No one is in trouble. No one can interrupt us. No one is trying to reach us. What do you want to do with it?”

The look Scott is giving Isaac can melt lead at a thousand paces. The heat it gives off makes Isaac’s knees a little weak. Up until that point, he had no idea a facial expression could do so much for one’s libido.

“I have a few ideas,” Isaac smirks, looking more confident than the feels.

Scott returns the smirk only to have Isaac cover it with his mouth a second later. He kisses his alpha feverishly, as if this is the last time he can do it. He tries to make up for everything in that moment—for all the lost kissing time and the constant waiting. He can’t let go of Scott’s mouth, even to breath evenly. Their lips and tongues mash together in a way that must not look all that attractive from an outsider’s perspective, but Isaac isn’t worried about that at the moment. He’s more concerned with Scott’s hot breath on his lips and the needy caresses spoiling his naked torso.

Their need for each other causes them to move about the kitchen in a mass of limbs and uncoordinated steps. At first Isaac is pressed hard up against the sink, but then it’s Scott who is held against the counters, Isaac’s hips rolling into his. Scott shoves him forward and into a wall, simultaneously pressing back his shoulders and pulling himself closer.

They somehow stay connected the entire time they keep up their strange dance. At one point, Scott’s shirt is removed, but Isaac doesn’t remember breaking their kiss. All he knows is that suddenly he has toned muscles under his fingertips and it is glorious.

When Scott trips on a chair and falls backwards into the seat, they finally pause. Breathy laughter escapes their lips and Isaac is overwhelmed with the urge to climb into Scott’s lap and bury his face into the heated skin.

His legs do eventually give out, though, mostly because he’s been working so hard to hold back both his wolf and his teenage hormones. Scott is splayed across the chair, his legs spread and relaxed and it’s only natural for Isaac to fall in between them. He’s still laughing, though, and holds onto Scott’s thighs for support, resting himself on one of his legs.

“You’re so far away,” Scott whines, flopping a needy hand at Isaac’s curls.

Isaac smiles lazily up at Scott through half-lidded eyes, just letting him toy with his hair. “Give me a second to stay human.”

“You’re doing fine. You still have your eyebrows,” Scott jokes, now letting his hand fall to Isaac’s ear, thumbing the rounded cartilage. 

“Eyebrows?” Isaac waggles the offending facial features up at Scott. “That’s what you’re worried about?”

“I’m not worried about anything.”

“Lies.”

“Not lies.”

As they banter, Isaac’s hands move up, almost of their own accord. His fingers slowly walk across the denim of Scott’s jeans toward his crotch. With each step, Scott’s voice grows more and more bothered until he’s not even saying words anymore, he’s just sort of mumbling.

Isaac can feel Scott’s erection, hard and hot hiding behind too many layers of cotton. He palms it, getting a feel for the length and shape as it’s pressed against him.

The sounds escaping from Scott’s lips are so beautiful Isaac wants to absorb all of them. Being so close to Scott’s cock like this is sending so many signals to so many different parts of Isaac’s body that it’s a wonder he doesn’t throw his head skyward and howl. The salty smell of precum and sweat is inches from his face. He longs to run his nose along the seat of Scott’s jeans and just scent. Better yet, he’d really like to remove all the barriers and continue his exploration undisturbed. 

His hands move to start undoing the fly of Scott’s jeans when the moment is ruined by the sharp ringtone of Scott’s phone.

Isaac pauses in his ministrations only briefly and Scott groans, but not from pleasure. They both freeze, their eyes finding the source of the annoying sound.

“Ignore it,” Scott mutters at last.

“You should get that,” Isaac counters, slowly pulling his hand away. When Scott protests, Isaac shoots him a pained look. Here is a test—an inconvenient test but one nonetheless. “You promised.”

Scott protests some more, “But this is different! It’s—“

“Answer it before it goes to voicemail, or I will,” Isaac says, now reaching for the ringing phone. He is determined not to become a distraction.

Scott bats Isaac’s hand away and reluctantly scrambles for his phone. When he answers, he practically barks into the receiver. “WHAT?”

“Well, now,” comes the tinny voice from the other end of the line. It’s Stiles. “What debauchery did I interrupt?”

“What?” Scott looks confused for a second and then—“Did you do this on purpose?”

“Who, me?” Isaac can practically hear Stiles grinning on the other end. “You know me, I only call if I have really, really important news. Like I’m dying and I need you to save me.”

“Are you dying and need me to save you?”

“Not really, no.”

“Then why are you calling?” Scott just sounds annoyed. Isaac scoots further up in between Scott’s legs and kneels up on his knees so he can rest his head on Scott’s torso and wrap his arms around his waist. Scott’s erection is poking him in the stomach. Isaac can practically feel it twitching. Scott clamps his thighs around Isaac’s middle in a strange leg hug. With Isaac snuggling into him like this, he seems only slightly less annoyed.

Stiles coughs. “Oh, yeah, right. Um. Derek wants to know if Isaac is coming home tonight.”

“Seriously?” All the annoyance filters right back into Scott’s voice. “You called me for that? Of course he’s coming home tonight.”

“Like… right now?”

Scott looks down at Isaac and Isaac shakes his head. It’s unspoken knowledge that Isaac can hear the entire conversation with his head so close to the phone’s receiver. “No, not right now. Does he need to be home, now?”

“Nope! Not at all. Have fun!” There’s a faint click as the line is cut off. Scott stares at his phone like it’s done him a personal injustice. 

“What the hell was that about?”

Isaac shrugs. “I guess maybe Derek doesn’t want to have to wait up, or freak out if he hears the key in the lock at two in the morning.”

“Maybe,” Scott agrees nonchalantly, tossing his phone onto the tabletop with a clang. 

“It could have been worse. It could have been a real problem.”

“Yeah, but it wasn’t.”

“It wasn’t. But you still answered it.”

Isaac is beaming at Scott like he’s going to stick a gold star on his forehead. Scott chuckles and toys with the curls that frame Isaac’s face for a moment, just staring at him idly. He snaps out of his reverie with a sharp shake like he’s been jolted awake clears his throat. “We should go back to what we were doing before. I like that idea.”

“We should,” Isaac agrees. “I should reward you for answering your phone.” He can’t help the sly grin that breaks across his face.

“I can’t believe you actually want me to ignore you.”

“It’s not ignoring. It’s… sorting out your priorities.”

“You’re my priority,” Scott says it with such sincerity in his voice that Isaac’s eyes soften.

He can’t look directly at Scott and has to shift his gaze to anywhere else in the kitchen. “I’m not more important than the lives of the pack.”

“I get it,” Scott murmurs, scratching lightly at the patch of skin between Isaac’s shoulder blades. Isaac shivers at the touch, gooseflesh appearing all across his arms. “But the only person that needs me right now is you.”

Isaac is quiet. He doesn’t know how to respond to that. Scott is quiet as well. The silence between them is thick, like they’re both holding their breath.

And then the laughter comes, simultaneous and loud. Isaac pushes away from Scott to wipe tears from his eyes and Scott is gasping for air on the chair.

“What the hell was that?” Isaac gasps between fits of giggles. He’s holding his side like he’s been shot.

“That was terrible,” Scott snickers, hiding his face in his hands. “I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Isaac stands up and tugs at Scott’s wrists, pulling his hands from his face. He’s still smiling stupidly and if he’s not careful, he’ll erupt into another laughing fit. “You were right. I do need you.”

Scott looks up at him, his brown eyes hopeful, “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Isaac repeats, dropping Scott’s wrists to point in the general direction of the sink, “I need you to finish those damn dishes so your mom won’t ground you and I’ll never get to see you again.”

Scott groans, “Are you serious right now? How can you think about dishes when this is happening?”

There’s pressure on his groin and Isaac gasps a bit when he realizes Scott’s hand is on his arousal, much in the same way Isaac was touching him before. Scott’s hand recoils at the sound, but then he steels his gaze and reaches more deliberately for Isaac once more. The chair scoots loudly across the floor as Scott stands up. In one fluid motion, he wraps his other hand around the back of Isaac’s neck and pulls him down for a kiss, his right hand never leaving the front of Isaac’s pants.

This kiss isn’t as needy and desperate as the one before. They aren’t shoving each other into various pieces of kitchen furniture. It’s slow and lazy and wet and Isaac lets himself forget all about the dishes.

Isaac’s hands resume their interrupted mission of trying to undo the button of Scott’s jeans when Scott makes a noise in the back of his throat and pulls back. “Not here. Not in the kitchen.” His voice is low and airy and sends jolts of electricity coursing through Isaac’s lower abdomen.

“Where?”

“My room.”

“But that’s so far away. We have to go up stairs,” Isaac whines, not even bothering to hide it. He’s finally accepting the fact that he’s going to get further tonight and if they get interrupted one more time he’s going to get so angry, it’ll trigger a shift and he’ll have to slaughter a defenseless squirrel to make himself feel better. Taking care of himself that afternoon has had very little effect on keeping him calm right now.

Scott shoves at Isaac anyway. “Just go.”

Isaac begins the trudge upstairs but he makes a point to kick off his shoes and socks as he goes, leaving them in a pile in the hallway. He’s pleased when Scott does the same. 

They don’t really make it to Scott’s room before Isaac loses his cool and pulls Scott in for another kiss. Scott gets way too happy whenever Isaac is the one to initiate anything. When Scott kisses him, it’s deliberate but unsure as if he’s still wondering if he’s doing the right thing. Whenever Isaac makes the move, Scott responds with so much enthusiasm it clouds all sorts of judgments.

Once they stumble into the room, Isaac takes their general location as a good sign that he can continue undoing Scott’s pants. He reaches downward only to find that Scott has done most of the job for him. His button and fly are wide open and Isaac can easily slide his hands under the fabric. He moves his hands around to cup Scott’s ass through his underwear and Scott jumps a little in his arms, once more breaking their kiss.

“You ok?” Isaac breathes, giving the skin under his palms a squeeze.

“That’s my butt,” Scott says like he needs to have it clarified out loud.

Isaac snickers into Scott’s neck, stooping down to bury his nose in the dark hair behind his ear. “Yes. Yes, Scott, it is. It’s a good butt. An awesome butt.” He gives it more squeezes to solidify his claim.

“It’s different,” Scott’s voice is odd. “I feel like I should be the one doing the ass-grabbing.”

“No one is stopping you,” Isaac is still snickering a little. He uses his grip on Scott’s backside to pull him forward, grinding their bare chests together and thrusting his hips into Scott’s.

“Holy crap, Isaac,” Scott gasps at the motion. Isaac can feel his tongue and lips on his neck, now. Scott’s chests presses tighter against his own as his lungs expand. He’s scenting Isaac and it triggers that need again.

Once tapped, the primal urges take over and with the two of them combined and lost in them, it’s downright impossible to get them to stop. Isaac growls and buries his nose deep in Scott’s hair, nuzzling him with his cheek. His hands leave Scott’s pants in favor of running his nails up Scott’s tanned back.

Scott shudders at the touch and guides the two of them over to the bed. A little nudge in the right direction causes Isaac to fall backward onto the mattress and Scott climbs over him, mouth heading straight for Isaac’s exposed skin on his stomach. Each kiss and nip makes Isaac’s nerves twitch. He longs to pull Scott to him and fill his nostrils with that delicious aroma of arousal and lust and want, but Scott is so far away. He’s making him feel good on that physical human level and lying there and taking it is just as amazing as trying to gain the initiative.

Scott’s hands are at his jeans, now, messing with the fly. Isaac looks down to see his brows furrowed in concentration as he works the button. It’s hard to work the pants from the opposite direction, Isaac knows this firsthand from about fifteen minutes ago. He’s about to offer assistance when finally Scott is victorious and tugs hard at Isaac’s now open jeans, pulling them down to his knees, then ankles and eventually Isaac helps kick them across the room. Scott settles in between Isaac’s legs, kneeling on the floor in front of the bed.

There’s a wet spot on Isaac’s boxers from the tip of Isaac’s arousal. It’s strange—Isaac thought he would be embarrassed about being so turned out from Scott, but it turns out he’s not ashamed at all. The scent on Scott drove him absolutely wild and he can see that same primal look in Scott’s eyes.

And yet, despite that obvious need, there’s still doubt. Scott has had it all night, and it isn’t until now that Isaac has figured it out. It’s the same feeling Isaac has—the same reason Isaac tries to keep the two of them at first or second base. Scott may not be a virgin, but he’s still never done something like this before, and neither has Isaac. It’s scary and nerve-wracking and new.

“Scott…” Isaac says, his voice going up only slightly in question. “No one is making you do anything.”

Scott tears his eyes from Isaac’s erection to look vaguely at Isaac’s face. “I know. I want to.” He lifts his hand, bringing it to rest on Isaac’s abs and slowly moves it downward. His wrist brushes Isaac’s hardness and Isaac twitches involuntarily. The movement makes Scott recoil again. “Oh god,” he says, suddenly worried. “I didn’t even ask you. Do you want me to…?”

“Seriously,” Isaac growls a little, astonished with his own forwardness. His cock is aching and with Scott just centimeters away from him it’s torture. He wants to thrust upward so bad he swears it’s going to have an adverse affect on him in about ten seconds. “If you don’t touch me, I’m going to touch myself.”

That sentence is all the pep talk Scott needs because he takes the dive and grasps Isaac’s cock through his boxers. They both gasp, Isaac out of relief and Isaac has no idea why Scott even gasped. He’s caught up in a whirlwind of physical and emotional reactions.

His brain can’t really get past the whole, ‘Scott is touching’ him part, and when Scott’s hand starts to move, Isaac can’t really think of anything anymore. He is nothing but sensation. At some point, Scott’s hand has gone from outside Isaac’s boxers to tugging them down and around his sack exposing him to the air.

Isaac’s eyes are shut tight. He wants to open them. He wants to see the look on Scott’s face, but he can’t. His eyelids are betraying him, the devils. Scott strokes him up and down in languid movements. It’s not what Isaac is used to but at this point, it doesn’t really matter. It’s Scott. Scott is doing this to him. 

A low grunting noise brings Isaac to his own mind long enough to make sense of something Scott is saying, “—how you like it?”

“Wh-what?” Isaac asks, trying to force his eyes to open.

“I said you look like I’m hurting you. Is this how you like it?” Scott repeats. There’s a bit of worry in his voice and Isaac’s eyelids allow themselves to lift.

Scott is hovering over Isaac just like he poured over his history test, brow furrowed in concentration.

“No,” Isaac answers and then his eyes widen at the look on Scott’s face and he waves his hands to re-start his answer. “I mean, no you’re not hurting me! Just… I don’t know, just do what you would like because whatever it is, I’ll like it and---“ As he speaks, Scott starts to move his hand again, but down toward Isaac’s balls for a moment. Then he’s back to pumping his shaft in a twisted rhythm and Isaac doesn’t even know what he’s talking about anymore. “That’s good and just don’t stop whatever you’re doing because holy crap Scott you have no idea how far way you are and how much I just want to touch you like thi---“ he stops abruptly because there’s something warm and wet at the tip of his penis and he cries out in surprise.

Scott doesn’t answer the cry and Isaac looks down to see dark lips wrapped around him and sinking lower. It’s combined with the slow swirling of a hot tongue and Isaac is pretty sure he can see stars. He didn’t expect this. He thought maybe they would get too excited and get each other off before things escalated this quickly. He isn’t even sure Scott is ready for something like this, but it’s happening and Isaac isn’t going to stop it.

Cold air hits him for a moment, but it’s swallowed up again by Scott’s hand, pumping his slick member even faster. Scott says something, but Isaac doesn’t even register what it is. His toes are curling and he’s trying to hold himself back—he wants to make this last as long as he can. Scott tentatively licks at the tip again like he’s getting a proper feel and then slams his mouth down around him as far as he can go.

His mouth is so hot and wet and moving around him and with Scott’s hand still at the base of Isaac’s shaft, he can’t even control his body’s movement anymore. His hands jut forward, grabbing onto Scott’s shoulders and his hips thrust upward.

The only reason Isaac even knows he’s saying anything is because he can feel the vibrations in his throat. Scott pulls away from him quickly just as Isaac can feel the pressure start to build. A few quick strokes on Scott’s part and Isaac is coming hard, spilling around himself and all over Scott’s hand. Scott slowly eases his strokes as Isaac’s shudders begin to wind down.

Isaac’s eyes are kind enough to let him take a good look at Scott. He’s got claw marks on his shoulders that are healing quickly. Isaac feels as though he should apologize for that, but the look on Scott’s face says he’s already been forgiven. 

Scott is giving him a strange look. “You’re beautiful,” he says eventually.

Isaac is taken aback, “What?”

“I know you’re not supposed to say that to guys or whatever, but that’s the only thing that fits you right now. The way you looked. I’m not sorry.” Scott clarifies through half-lidded eyes. Isaac doesn’t argue, especially since the room is filled with the satisfying smell of sex—but it’s not just Isaac’s. …what?

With a whine of protest, but only against himself, Isaac forces himself to sit up. He’s on the edge of the bed, now, with Scott still kneeling between his legs. It forces Scott to remove his hand and wipe it on his pants. The movement catches Isaac’s eye and he can see Scott’s own spent cock jutting out from his boxers.

“You took care of yourself without me?” Isaac frowns, feeling deprived.

Scott looks sheepishly down at his softening member. “I couldn’t help it. The noises you were making… if I didn’t do something I probably would have started humping the bed. No lie.”

Isaac laughs, “You are brutally honest after an orgasm.” Although something Scott said makes Isaac wonder. He knows he must have been saying or doing something because his throat is dry, but he has no idea what he said. “Speaking of honesty, what did I say?”

Scott is grinning now, “It was pretty bad. I don’t want to repeat it, but I’m sure porn directors would love it.”

All the remaining blood drains from Isaac’s face, “No, seriously, McCall. What did I say?”

“I’m not telling,” Scott says defiantly, and then adds for good measure, “ _Lahey._ ”

Isaac pushes Scott away but not out of frustration. He’s smiling anyway. He’ll figure it all out, later. Right now, all he wants to do lay down with Scott in his arms and hold him until his eyes stop being so heavy. He flops sideways onto the bed, his head hitting an all-too-comfortable pillow. “Whatever.”

Scott shuffles around in his room for a moment before climbing into bed with Isaac. Both of them are in just their boxers, now. The residual heat from their bodies helps to mold them together. It’s Isaac who is holding Scott this time as they face each other, his nose nuzzling the top of Scott’s head.

They are quiet for a while, breathing in each other’s scent. Isaac is fighting to stay awake. He knows he needs to go home. He knows he needs to put on proper clothing again. But Scott is so warm and so near and if Isaac so much as tries to walk out of the room alone, he’ll feel empty and forgotten.

“Isaac?” Scott is the first to break the silence.

“Yeah?”

“This means you’re my boyfriend, right?”

Isaac chuckles and holds Scott tighter. “After all that, you’re asking now? I thought we already were.”

“I did too but… I’ve never done this before. I don’t know when we crossed the line.”

“Me neither, but we have to tell the pack, now. There’s no way we can keep pretending there’s nothing going on,” Isaac says, trying not to let his drowsiness muffle his words. It’s true. Once he somehow makes it back to Happy Meadows, he’s going to smell like Scott and sex and it’ll wake up every wolf in the house.

“Okay,” Scott agrees, yawning. “We’ll tell them tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow,” Isaac agrees, rubbing Scott’s back reassuringly. He cannot think of another time where he has ever been more content. Sure, spending time with Scott always makes him happy, but it seems like each moment he’s with him, his sadness gets pushed aside and more and more happiness replaces it.

Scott feels heavy in his arms and doesn’t respond, so Isaac knows he’s fallen asleep.

Isaac has every intention to lay with Scott for a little while and then get up, get dressed, and go finish the dishes for him. He thinks about how he’ll run home while shifted and take the woods and back ways to make sure he won’t get caught. He thinks about the exact way he’ll sneak into the townhome, hoping everyone will stay sleeping long enough for him to curl up in his blankets and pass out.

But he does none of that. The next time Isaac opens his eyes, it’s to the sound of harsh pounding on Scott’s bedroom door and Melissa McCall yelling sternly from the other side.

Sunlight filters into the room and by its light, Isaac and Scott exchange a startled and very frightened look.

“Oh, shit.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This started out as a little idea that was supposed to take me a week or two to write. It was going to be about 20k tops. I got so caught up in the story and these two puppies that I just poured out a ton of words and this happened. Thank you for putting up with me just getting out a lot of feelings!
> 
> I love discussing this pairing and I feel as though the Scisaac portion of the fandom could use a bit of comradery. Don't be shy about stopping by my tumblr (mesita) for some good-old-fashioned Scisaac fangirling!
> 
> Thanks again for reading. This has been a fun journey.

Chapter Nine

By the time Melissa McCall opens the door to Scott’s room, Scott has already lifted the window for Isaac to escape and shut it. 

Isaac hasn’t had the chance to really even grab any of his things so he’s basically running into the woods in just his boxers at six thirty in the morning on a weekday. It’s not a good situation.

He finds that running on all fours is much faster and it doesn’t tear the soles of his feet on the rocks and twigs on the forest floor. He keeps his mind clear of everything because if he so much as thinks about what kind of mess he could be getting himself into, he’ll lose himself again.

When Isaac finally reaches Happy Meadows, he stays near the back of the complex and waits for a clear opening. As residents climb into their cars to go to work, the last thing Isaac needs is for someone to see a pale white blur run by.

On a list of top ten things Isaac never wants to do ever, ever again, this has got to take the cake.

Once he makes it to the front door, he freezes. So much for keeping their relationship a secret until they can tell everyone together. He doesn’t have his key because it’s back at Scott’s house in his jeans and he doesn’t have his phone because that’s at Scott’s too. He really didn’t think this through. The only thing that ran through his mind at the time was that he was supposed to be home hours ago and that Scott’s mom was going to kill him. Rather than face the obstacle, he bolted. 

Gathering his courage as best he can, he slumps a little, as if making himself smaller will ease the embarrassment and knocks on the door. He grimaces when he finally hears someone shuffling on the other side. A disheveled and very tired Boyd opens the door while rubbing the sleep form his eyes.

“Seriously?” Boyd asks, taking in the sight before him. His nostrils flare and Isaac knows he can smell every last secret. Isaac wants to shrivel into a little ball. He curses his lanky features and stature. Even standing next to Boyd he feels too tall. 

Isaac shoves past him quickly, praying Boyd is the only person awake in the house this early in the morning. Boyd laughs from behind him, shutting the door and shaking his head, “You are in so much trouble.”

Isaac doesn’t want to hear it. He doesn’t want to acknowledge the situation. He just wants to crawl into his bed and hide until he can figure this all out.

He doesn’t get to catch a break when he reaches his bedroom. Every intention he has to wrap himself in his comforter is thrown to the wind because Erica is lying in his bed curled up and comfortable. Isaac has half a mind to crawl in bed with her, but he doesn’t get far before he realizes she’s clearly awake and glaring at him. 

“Well good morning sunshine,” she says, smirking a little. She makes a big show out of how comfortable the bed is and stretches obscenely. Isaac has never been on the receiving end of her evil nature and he finds he really doesn’t like it. “Your bed is so much softer than the couch and you weren’t coming home so I—“ she pauses, sniffs the air, and proceeds to crinkle her nose in disgust. “You reek of sex and Scott. Go take a shower.”

Isaac would normally shove his hands in his pockets and grumble, but he has no pockets to speak of at the moment so he folds his arms around his sides and hugs himself. It’s best to feign innocence in times of need, right? “Really?” Oh, who is he kidding.

Before Erica can continue to tease him, the knob to Derek’s room turns and Stiles opens the door, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He’s holding up a buzzing cell phone. “Is there a reason why Scott is calling me off the hook?” he yawns.

Isaac’s hands twitch, eager to take the phone from Stiles’ hands. He needs to talk to Scott. He wants to make sure everything is okay. What did his mom say? How is Isaac going to retrieve his possessions? What the hell are they going to do?

Or, on a completely different subject, why the hell is Stiles in Derek’s room of all places? Instead of voicing anything that’s going on in Isaac’s overloaded brain, he just mutters out, “Stiles?”

Stiles looks down at himself as if he’s just now realizing where he is and who he’s talking to and he laughs awkwardly to himself. He scratches at the skin around his mouth and at a closer look, Isaac realizes it’s red—like from sleeping on a rug for too long. Or possibly… stubble burn? Isaac’s eyes widen in assumption.

“I’m pack! I can stay here if I want!” Stiles defends himself against any accusations that may come from Isaac’s lips. Erica is snickering in Isaac’s bed and mutters something that sounds like wanting to punch everyone in the face.

Stiles’ phone buzzes again and Stiles looks relieved to have a distraction. Isaac holds his hand out to take the phone and Stiles tosses it over, grumbling about it being too early for this shit.

“Scott?” Isaac says into the receiver.

“Isaac, thank god you made it back okay,” Scott sounds relieved.

The call means Scott has phone privileges. This is good. “How did your mom take it? What did she say? Does she know?”

“She uh… well, it wasn’t good,” Isaac can hear Scott swallowing hard on the other end. “She’s demanding you come over right now and get your things.”

Isaac’s heart sinks like a stone. “Is she forbidding me to ever see you again?”

“No? I don’t know, but I think… she wants to have a talk with us.”

“Oh god.”

“I won’t blame you if you take your time getting here.”

Isaac stands in silence for a while. He wants to say something to Scott—something to solidify what happened the night before. He had been robbed of his morning after and instead had to do a run of shame across town. He wants to say his telephone goodbyes properly. He can’t hear Scott breathing on the other end, so he knows he has to be just as nervous. It’s comforting, in a way. Isaac eventually says an awkward, “Okay, see you,” and hands the phone back to Stiles.

Stiles holds the phone up to his ear and opens his mouth to say something, but then he frowns and looks at the screen. “He hung up, that jerk.”

Isaac ignores the comment and hunches his shoulders, feeling a bit defeated. “I need a shower. Everyone leave me alone.”

The request is simple and to the point, but his voice sounds so sad and without hope that no one teases him anymore. They all watch him trudge slowly into the bathroom and shut the door. Isaac imagines Erica and Stiles are mouthing words to each other silently.

He leans over the sink and stares at his face in the bathroom mirror. His face is flushed from running and dealing with his pack and the brief conversation with Scott. He has horrible bed-head and slight bags under his eyes. Weren’t new relationships supposed to make you feel giddy and happy and send you dancing into the streets? Then why did Isaac want to feel like throwing up and curling into a fetal position in the shower?

Despite feeling the urge to do both of these things, Isaac does neither. He stand in the shower for a while, letting the warm water wash away Scott’s scent. He uses about three rounds of soap to make sure he can get it all off. He doesn’t want to. He wants to keep it on him forever. He always wants to smell like this. Having Scott with him like this makes it easier when he’s not around. Like a comfort blanket.

When his fingers prune up, he deems himself ready to exit the shower. Wrapping a towel around his waist, Isaac shuffles from the bathroom to his room and rummages through his laundry. Erica is no longer in his room but it still smells like her. His good pair of shoes is still at Scott’s house as well, so he puts on a pair of sandals. Running in sandals isn’t the best feeling, but it’s better than walking into Scott’s house with bare feet.

By the time Isaac goes downstairs, the entire household is up: Derek, Peter, Stiles, Erica and Boyd. They’re all in the kitchen and Stiles is making toaster waffles for everyone. Cream cheese, butter, jelly and almost a dozen knives litter the kitchen table. None of them look up when he enters the room, but they all know he’s there. Isaac knows because he seems to walk right into a wall of tension.

Derek, as the alpha, is the first to speak. “We know about you and Scott.” That information doesn’t come as a surprise to Isaac at all. It’s more like a confirmation of fears.

“Wow way to ease him into this,” Stiles says, shoving another two waffles into the toaster.

While Isaac isn’t surprised that they know, he is surprised that they’re bringing it up with him alone. “Shouldn’t you be talking about this when Scott is here?”

“We will,” Peter explains, “but we just wanted you to know we’re okay with it. You don’t have to hide. I’ve explained it all to Derek before—there is no interfering with love. Human or wolf.”

Isaac gives Peter an odd look. This entire time, Peter has seemed like the disheveled Uncle who is only here because he has to be. Isaac always had the distinct feeling that Peter would much rather join that alpha pack. To be the oldest in a pack filled with teenagers isn’t exactly a feat written in the stars. If werewolves could get drunk, Peter would probably be drowning his woes at the local bar. So to hear something so profound come out of his mouth, it catches Isaac off guard and he realizes that maybe he doesn’t know Peter as well as he thinks. Maybe he really doesn’t know him at all.

When Peter mentions love, however, Stiles twitches a bit and looks at Derek. Derek very distinctly does not look at Stiles. He doesn’t even glance in his general direction. In fact, he makes sure to move even further away from the teen. If something is going on between these two, shouldn’t they take their own advice? Telling Isaac and Scott that it’s okay to be together is one thing, but deliberately hiding the exact same thing is a little hypocritical isn’t it? Isaac mentally shakes the feeling away. It’s really not his business to worry about this at the moment—especially when he feels like maybe this is the last time he’ll get to be with Scott the way he really wants to. Instead he just sighs loudly. “Well, I uh… I have to go back to Scott’s and talk to his mom and get my things.”

“Have fun,” Erica says, wiping a bit of jelly from the side of her mouth. She gives him a little grin to show that she really does support him, despite making fun of him earlier. She nudges Boyd beside her.

“Good luck,” Boyd mumbles, like he’s rehearsed it.

“Next time take a shower before you get home. No one wants to smell your spunk, even the humans.”

“Shut up, Stiles,” Derek barks from across the room. Peter laughs.

Instead of getting angry, Isaac uses the remark to his advantage, smirking a little, “Just for that I’m borrowing your Jeep. Give me your keys.”

Stiles sputters. “What? How come you gotta take my car? Why not Derek’s?” Derek shoots him a single look and Stiles obediently gives Isaac his keys, grumbling. 

“I’m good for it,” Isaac points out, tossing the keys from hand to hand. He looks a lot more confident than he feels. If he can just pretend like everything is okay, he won’t break down with worry.

“I don’t even think you have a license.” Stiles mutters, but Isaac is already gone.

*

Isaac doesn’t even have to knock on the front door before it’s opening itself for him. The alpha mark still hasn’t been removed from the door. Melissa hung a sort of all-seasons wreath over the door to hide it, but Isaac suspects they just don’t have the money to either replace the door or paint over it.

Melissa has been waiting for him to arrive, because as the door opens, she’s standing just behind it, ready to close it the minute Isaac steps inside.

“Isaac,” she says. “Sit down. Have some coffee.” She doesn’t sound mad. At least she doesn’t seem like she’s going to bite his head off in a way that only a mother can. Isaac takes this as a good sign. His vocal cords still don’t work, though, so he only manages a lopsided smile to acknowledge his greeting. 

He shuffles awkwardly to the living room where Melissa has everything set up like she’s going to stage an intervention. Isaac’s clothes are neatly folded on an armchair, with his shoes nearby. His phone and keys are resting on the coffee table next to a tray filled with coffee mugs and a coffee pot from the kitchen coffee maker.

Scott is sitting on the couch holding a coffee mug like he’s supposed to be drinking from it, but it looks full. Isaac makes sure to sit on the other end of the couch, as far from Scott as possible. He not only wants to put on a good impression for Scott’s mom, but Scott also hasn’t had the chance to shower and he smells absolutely wonderful and just sitting close to Scott could spell disaster for them both. It’s just not fair.

Melissa stands in front of them just behind the coffee table and pours Isaac a mug of coffee. Now Isaac, too, is doomed to sit on the couch and refuse to drink it. It smells good, but Isaac’s stomach is tying itself into so many knots, he’s pretty sure the coffee will come back up if he tries to ingest it.

“So,” she says as she pours herself a cup. “I see you didn’t finish doing the one thing I asked of you.” Of course she would start with that. Isaac is actually relieved it’s the kitchen thing and not, well, anything else.

“We did most of it, mom!” Scott protests.

Melissa holds up her hand, “And. I can also see you had a bit of a sleepover.” And there it is.

Isaac looks into his hands and doesn’t say anything that might incriminate himself.

Melissa looks back and forth between the two of them. Isaac has no idea what it is that Scott is doing, but for all he knows it’s the exact same thing. Eventually, Scott’s mom sighs loudly and sets down her coffee mug. “If there’s something going on between you two, I’m not mad about it, but I hate lying. I hate the sneaking around. I hate that you felt you needed to jump out the window as if I hadn’t already seen half your clothes lying around the house.”She turns to Isaac, abruptly. “Did you really jump out the _window_?”

Isaac stares at Melissa and can just feel all the blood draining from his face. He doesn’t know what to do other than just nod. Melissa’s eyebrows raise, as so does the tone of her voice. “I can’t _believe_ you two.” She turns toward her son, pointing an accusing finger. “Scott, you never pulled these stunts with Allison.”

“That was different, mom,” Isaac steals a glance over at Scott. He’s gripping his coffee mug so tight, Isaac is afraid it will shatter.

“I really don’t think it is,” Melissa says defiantly. “I fact, Isaac is going to get the exact same treatment Allison would have gotten had you brought her around here a little more.” She holds her hand up and starts listing everything off with her fingers. “No visiting after 10pm. Your bedroom door stays open and absolutely no more sleepovers.”

Scott looks at his mom, wide-eyed, “Mom!”

“I mean it, Scott. You’re both seventeen. I remember what it was like at that age. No. Sleepovers.”

“Ugh, mom. It’s summer, that’s not fair!” Scott’s voice has gone from whining to pleading. Isaac is very, very happy that he has Scott to voice all of his opinions because Melissa’s authority has his mouth scared shut.

“You directly disobeyed my orders last night, so this is fair in my eyes. My house, my rules.” Melissa rattles off like this is something she has said on multiple occasions.

Scott rubs his face with his hands and groans. Isaac continues to twiddle his thumbs. He had been expecting a lot more. In his eyes, Melissa is being incredibly lenient. Based on her rules, he can still see Scott. She’s just making sure the two of them won’t do more of what they did the night before. Although really, Isaac has no idea why something like that can be considered awful. 

And yet, he feels as though he needs to say something seeing as he’s been so quiet the entire lecture. So he takes a deep breath and quickly blurts out, “I’m sorry Mrs. McCall. I didn’t mean to—“

Once again, Melissa holds up her hand, but to stop him this time instead of her son. “It’s okay, Isaac. I understand the reasoning, trust me. It doesn’t mean I get to play nice mom, though.”

Isaac just nods. How is it even possible for one mom to be so completely understanding—about everything? And Isaac mean’s _everything_.

“Besides,” she continues, “I know what you’ve done to help my Scott. His grades have improved. His temper has improved. He’s not moping around the house anymore. He’s been probably happier than I’ve seen him in a long time all things considered. I think I’m being reasonable.”

“Wait. So,” Scott breaks in, the gears working in his mind. “You mean you’re okay with me and Isaac being… like... dating?”

Melissa exhales and closes her eyes a moment. Hearing it spoken out loud is something entirely different from only assuming or simply knowing. “Yes, I’m okay with it. I’m not sure I really understand it, but if no one is getting hurt…” she trails off for a second, her jaw is tight and her eyes are glazed. She won’t look at Scott. “But come on, I mean, really, Scott? First I find out you’ve been hiding your… your wolf… thing from me. And now I find out you have a boyfriend? Is there anything else I need to know? Anything at all?”

Scott looks like his mom has punched him in the gut. Isaac knows Scott loves his mother. She’s all the family he’s got. Isaac was there for him when he was so worried about the alpha pack taking his mom. He was there when Melissa was just coming to terms with what her son had become. Scott hated hiding things like this from her, but she was always so understanding when the truth came to light. Surely Melissa was the best mom anyone could ever ask for.

“Nothing… there’s nothing else I can think of,” Scott says, looking over at Isaac for help.

Isaac can think of a few things, but he doesn’t know if he should say anything about them, so he just offers, “What about the pack…?”

“Oh!” Scott looks back to his mom. His hesitation is brief before he makes the decision to continue. “I’m an…. Well, an alpha. It’s like… a leader. The people like me… like me and Isaac—the ones in Beacon Hills… I’m kind of a leader to them.”

“Haven’t you always been?” Melissa asks, a confused look on her face. “I know I don’t know everything about this, but I always thought of you as a leader.”

“Well, I am. Officially. And… and I think that’s it,” Scott makes a sort of struggling face and Isaac really has no idea what kind of effect this revelation is having on either of the McCalls. He really just wants to be anywhere else right now.

“Okay,” Melissa sighs and then she does something Isaac doesn’t expect: she steps around the coffee table and reaches forward, her arms outstretched. She hugs both of them around their necks, pulling them close to her. “I love you boys. Watch out for each other, okay? I hate that I feel powerless sometimes, but be safe. And no funny business in my house.”

Scott’s voice hitches. “Sorry mom. I love you, too.”

“Sorry Mrs. McCall…” Isaac adds, positive that she is waiting on a response from him as well.

“Honey, please, just call me Melissa. Or mom. Call me mom.” She ruffles Isaac’s curls.

Isaac turns a bright red, but he doesn’t try to fix his hair. His heart is beating wildly but it’s because he’s so happy. Melissa has surprised him yet again. Isaac’s mother has been gone for years, taken from him when he was only a little boy. His brother Camden was all he had left until the army and then the world took him away from him, too. Isaac’s father hadn’t been the world’s best father, but he was still family. Isaac always had the only memories of the four of them to hold on to… but now even his father is gone. All Isaac has is himself and now his pack. And now he even has a mom again.

“Okay,” he says slowly, deliberately. “Mom.”

“Good.” She lets go of both of them and her smiles fades. “Finish my kitchen.”

“Yes ma’am.”

*

After they are done cleaning up the kitchen, they have to tidy up the living room and the bathroom and mow the lawn. It is noon by the time Melissa lets them go over to Happy Meadows. She hadn’t planned on letting them go, but Isaac explains that they really need to come out to the rest of the pack as well, and she gives in. Scott reassures her that at least they’re taking Stiles’ Jeep and not running off with her car.

Isaac suspects she also gives in because after all has been said and done, she looks exhausted and would like nothing more than to sleep after a long work shift and coming home to deal with her son and his new boyfriend.

Scott drives with his left hand and holds onto Isaac with his right. Isaac laces their fingers together and lets their combined hands fall into Scott’s lap. It’s comfortable like this. It feels right. So right, in fact, that Isaac doesn’t even feel apprehensive about going to see the others. They already talked to him about it, right? There’s nothing they should fear.

Isaac is right. In fact, he’s so right, that the moment they open the door to the townhome at Happy Meadows, they’re greeted with everything just short of confetti. 

Isaac wonders if this is what college guys feel like at a frat house after a party where half of them lose their virginity. Everyone is giving them slaps on the shoulder and smiling and for all Isaac knows, they’ve practically baked them a cake. It’s great that they’re so accepting, but Isaac feels like they’re overdoing it. Like maybe they’re forced into thinking they have to be overly accepting because it’s a relationship between an alpha and a beta. 

When Derek says that they can’t screw the pack over just because they’re together, Isaac finally feels like he’s not walking into a dream world where everything is suddenly perfect. The moment Derek gives the warning, everyone stops talking. Isaac likes this reaction much better. Everyone doesn’t feel fake anymore. “It’s like a relationship with someone you work with only there are no alternating shifts,” Derek adds.

“I will watch out for the pack,” Scott explains. “You’ve all accepted me as an alpha, haven’t you? Doesn’t that mean you trust me? I need your trust. Everyone’s trust—if anything is going to work out between anyone.”

“Trust is earned,” Boyd reminds him. Isaac bites the inside of his cheek. He knows just how little Boyd feels about Scott’s priority issues. 

“I realize that,” Scott turns to Boyd, completely serious. “And I will earn it.”

“Alright,” Peter breaks the tension with the simple clap of his hands. “As great as all this is, surely, there are ground rules. What you two do behind closed doors is none of our business, but you are both still minors. No sex in the house.”

“What?!” Scott exclaims. Isaac only turns a bright shade of crimson. How can Scott talk so freely about this stuff? As upset as Isaac is about the subject, he doesn’t feel like he can outright object to it. Peter is still an adult. By human pack standards, he’s the alpha. They may be wolves, but they live in a human world and adhere to their rules. Scott won’t let it go, “But Boyd and Erica do it!”

Peter rolls his eyes. “Boyd, Erica, you can’t have sex in the house.”

Erica’s mouth drops open and she practically snarls at Scott for bringing it up. “Ugh fuck this place. It’s too small anyway.”

“Okaaaaay,” Stiles drawls out, feeling the need to step forward with a place of waffles. “Time to blow off some steam. Come on guys, breakfast and then Hale house.”

*

The pack ends up just hanging about the preserve and cleaning up the house. The entire day is devoted to nothing in particular, and yet much of the debris ends up being cleared up fairly quickly.

It’s like nothing has changed. No one cares about Scott and Isaac having duster fights with each other. No one says a word when they take an extra minute coming back from loading the rented trailer with broken wood. Stiles mimics throwing up a few times, but after all that hype, the aftermath is actually pretty boring. Isaac can handle boring. He finds he rather enjoys it.

As the sun starts to sink lower into the sky, Scott and Isaac break away from the group and head out into the woods. Before they know it, they’re sitting at the cliff that overlooks Beacon Hills. The very same cliff Scott used to meet Allison. Isaac is surprised to realize that it doesn’t really even bother him. This place, for all he knows, is special to Scott and if Scott finds it a good place to be with Isaac, then Isaac doesn’t really mind either way.

“You know,” Scott says, leaning back on his hands. His legs are still crossed. They can’t really move from their position because Isaac is laying on his back in front of him, his head resting in Scott’s lap. Isaac frowns, though, because with Scott leaning away from him, he’s no longer playing with Isaac curls. “I liked you for a really, really long time.”

Okay, Isaac can forgive Scott for not playing with his hair if he’s going to reveal something like that. He looks up at him through long eyelashes. It’s an awkward angle for his head so he settles himself back down to his previous position and stares at the darkening sky. “Yeah?”

“It came to me slowly. I didn’t realize until after I broke up with Allison. I wasn’t devastated the way I was before. I tried to figure out why, but the answer came pretty quickly. It was you,” he says. Isaac reaches up with one hand to rest on Scott’s knee and gives it a squeeze because it’s all he can do not to burst into a giant grin. “Being with you is helpful. You’re strong emotionally and it makes me feel like I can be, too. I have bad days. There are days when I think about my father… and I don’t know how to talk about it with my mom. I don’t know how to talk about it with anyone. But now I have you.” 

Isaac can feel the touch of Scott’s fingers idly tracing around on Isaac’s hand. The world around him smells like dirt and grass and wood, but Scott’s scent rises about everything else. With Isaac’s head resting at his center, it’s like he can just breathe in everything Scott chooses to be and all of it is directed toward Isaac.

“The sex is bonus, which is weird because really I just enjoy being with you,” Scott says suddenly. Isaac bursts out laughing and twists around in Scott’s grip so that he’s sitting up properly and looking straight at him.

“How is that weird?”

“Well, that’s what I thought at first—that I’d found another friend. I didn’t expect to start liking you in um… in that way,” Scott’s eyebrows go up.

Isaac’s features soften. “If it makes you feel any better, I didn’t either. I was just happy for a friend. I was honestly going to be satisfied if we never got together.”

“Were you really?”

“…. No probably not.” Isaac says with a shrug.

Scott laughs and leans forward. Isaac knows he’s going in for a kiss by now and he welcomes it. It’s a quick kiss, but it means everything to Isaac. The fact that they can express affection so openly is still mind-boggling.

They only break because Scott’s cell phone goes off. “Sorry, that’s my alarm. We should be heading back, now.” He grumbles and pulls way with great reluctance. Together they stand up and brush themselves off. 

But Isaac isn’t ready to head back just yet. He only finds it fair that Scott knows how he feels—how he really feels. If Scott can open up to him like this, then he can share the sentiment. He swallows thickly and puts a hand on Scott’s shoulder just as he’s turning around.

“I didn’t have anyone,” he starts.

Scott faces him and nods probably a little too enthusiastically. “I know, you told me.”

“So you know it’s the truth,” Isaac says. He picks up Scott’s hand and places his fingers on the pulse point on his wrist. He doesn’t have to say anything else on the subject, because Scott already knows why he even made the move. “I didn’t have anyone,” he starts again. “I felt alone. I _was_ alone. And then I got to meet the real Scott McCall. The one who shines and smiles and laughs and makes me feel better about myself and the world. Life is easier and the days don’t drag on and on anymore. Every day was an obstacle. Every single day was a mess—but you made sense of them. I’m actually excited to get up in the morning if it means I get to see you. For the first time in a long time I actually like my life.”

Scott is quiet for a long time, but Isaac doesn’t press it. He patiently watches Scott’s facial features. He watches the shock and admiration as they sink in. He memorizes every line in his face so he can bring them up during those moments when he really needs them. When Scott finally speaks, his voice is hoarse and he has to clear his throat to start again. “So we can make this work, right? I mean with that alpha pack not going away and trying to keep the pack together… and lacrosse… and junior year. Will you be able to handle me through all of that?”

Isaac melts a little, a puff of air escaping his lips, “Well, yeah. I’m looking forward to it.”

Scott’s eyes light up. “This is going to be the best summer, ever.” 

Isaac laughs and when Scott offers him an open palm, Isaac takes it, their fingers lacing together automatically. Scott lifts an eyebrow at him and smirks a bit, “Race you back?”

“Are you kidding?” Isaac scoffs, “And get there sooner?” He tugs briefly on Scott’s hand and is pleased when the shorter boy allows himself to drift into Isaac’s arms. He doesn’t keep his hands shoved awkwardly into his pockets anymore—not when they can be holding Scott McCall. “Let’s walk and make them all wait.”

Scott beams up at him. “I like the way you think.”

**Author's Note:**

> (This is the first time I have ever used the present tense style of writing in a fic. I've only ever written third person past tense. I wanted to try something new... so... I'm sorry if there are strange tense changes that I haven't caught. I did not have a beta.)


End file.
